Gamification: 9 ways to include gamification in learning designBy eCom Scotland

ecomscotland.com @eComScotland /company/ecom-scotland

Gamification is one of the hottest trends in Learning and Development this year, with over 30% of companies saying they are currently using it, 12% running trials and 53% hoping to make use of it in the next two years.

We discuss 9 ways to incorporate gamification in to your learning design.

1. Make learning more personable

If there is an emotional attachment to learning it makes it more powerful. You may not remember much about your journey to work today, but you will remember a day when the journey didn’t go to plan. This is the power of affective learning. Emotion enhances memory.

2. Provide a narrative that users can identify withProviding a character to follow, empathise and identify with, brings a story to life and gives it meaning. Factual and dry narrative becomes more personable.

3. Create simple, visually engaging interfaces with a human touch• In games the interface needs to be simple so it doesn’t impede game

play. • Most app games have a very low learning curve for the control

interface. How to use the app is frequently built into the game mechanics so you get introduced to it a bit at a time.

• Gameful design can add pleasure to using an interface, without altering the functionality.

• Big software developers are including more friendliness in their interfaces, which adds a fun element whilst removing none of the communication value.

4. Make the interface a pleasure to use so users want to come backGameful design can add pleasure to using an interface, without altering the functionality. Big software developers are including more friendliness in their interfaces, which adds a fun element whilst removing none of the communication value.

5. Design for ‘Flow’There is a ‘sweet spot’ known as ‘FLOW’, that point when you are in the zone, between boredom and anxiety. Lots of games make use of this sweet spot, too hard and we give up, to easy and we get bored and forget it.

6. Show visibility of progress

Levels and progress bars can help to visualise progress. By including these in a personalised dashboard the user has an overview of their progress and an understanding of what they still need to complete. Open Badges can be used as a mark of a level achievement, and these can be aggregated to show mastery.

7. Design so the user feels they have a choice of pathway rather than just a linear oneLet people feel like they have a degree of control in the path they chose.

Older eLearning developments tends linear – click next – progression.

By allowing users to alter the path, or jump past things they’ve mastered it gives a more accomplished sense of control, which positively impacts motivation.

8. Provide elements to be revealed, discovered or searched forMany games unfold as they progress thus creating a desire to know what’s round the corner. With learning, don’t reveal all at the start, include levels that need to be unlocked to reveal the next part. Where possible include ‘discovery’ with hotspots that the user has to search for.

9. ‘Chunk’ LearningGood instructional design ‘chunks’ learning appropriately, and goes progressively deeper.

If you try to give a big, in-depth chunk of learning all at once, very little will stick. However, if you ‘chunk’ the learning and revisit it, the potential for recall is much higher.

eCom’s learning specialists can help you incorporate gamification and gameful design into your projects.

Our work for NetRegs included the use of hotspots and our collaboration with Howden adopted avatars and illustration in eLearning.

Our projects have used Open Badges to stimulate reward and competition. eNetAuthor, our new content authoring tool, is designed to help you easily create engaging content through the use of simple tools.

This presentation discusses 9 ways to include gamification in learning design.

For more information on how we can help you in your learning or assessment challenge, contact us by phone at 01383 630032 or email.

01383 630 032 connect@ecomscotland.com ecomscotland.com

18b Dickson StreetElgin Industrial EstateDunfermlineFife, UK, KY12 7SL

@eComScotland /ecomscotland /company/ecom-scotland