0. Foreword

239 shares
Download PDF

Gamification is becoming a common buzzword in business these days. In its November 2012 press release (footnote 1), Gartner predicted that "by 2015, 40% of Global 1000 organizations will use gamification as the primary mechanism to transform business operations". In the same report, they also predicted that "by 2014, 80% of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives, primarily due to poor design".

What is gamification? Does it belong in the workplace? Are there design best practices that can increase the efficacy of enterprise gamification efforts?

Janaki Kumar and Mario Herger answer these questions and more. They caution against taking a "chocolate covered broccoli" approach of simply adding points and badges to business applications and calling them gamified. They outline a methodology called Player Centered Design which is a practical guide for user experience designers, product managers and developers to incorporate the principles of gamification into their business software. Player Centered Design involves the following five steps:

  1. Know your player
  2. Identify the mission
  3. Understand human motivation
  4. Apply mechanics
  5. Manage, monitor and measure

Kumar and Herger provide examples of enterprise gamification, introduce legal and ethical considerations, and provide pointers to other resources to continue your journey in designing gamification that works.

Chapter TOC
239 shares
Download PDF

Open Access—Link to us!

We believe in Open Access and the democratization of knowledge. Unfortunately, world-class educational materials such as this page are normally hidden behind paywalls or in expensive textbooks.

If you want this to change, , link to us, or join us to help us democratize design knowledge!

Share Knowledge, Get Respect!

Share on:

or copy link

Cite according to academic standards

Simply copy and paste the text below into your bibliographic reference list, onto your blog, or anywhere else. You can also just hyperlink to this book chapter.

Kumar, J. M. and Herger, M. (2013, June 25). Foreword. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF.

New to UX Design? We're Giving You a Free eBook!

The Basics of User Experience Design

Download our free ebook “The Basics of User Experience Design” to learn about core concepts of UX design.

In 9 chapters, we’ll cover: conducting user interviews, design thinking, interaction design, mobile UX design, usability, UX research, and many more!

A valid email address is required.
316,318 designers enjoy our newsletter—sure you don’t want to receive it?

Download Premium UX Design Literature

Enjoy unlimited downloads of our literature. Our online textbooks are written by 100+ leading designers, bestselling authors and Ivy League professors.

Bringing Numbers to Life
The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction
Gamification at Work: Designing Engaging Business Software
The Social Design of Technical Systems: Building Technologies for Communities

New to UX Design? We're Giving You a Free eBook!

The Basics of User Experience Design

Download our free ebook “The Basics of User Experience Design” to learn about core concepts of UX design.

In 9 chapters, we’ll cover: conducting user interviews, design thinking, interaction design, mobile UX design, usability, UX research, and many more!

A valid email address is required.
316,318 designers enjoy our newsletter—sure you don’t want to receive it?