Gamification in the real world. Pros and cons
In the previous article, we talked about gamification and, in particular, we came to the conclusion that, despite the fact that the introduction of game elements can stimulate user activity, the popularity of this discipline still has a “trend” character. In fact, successfully implement game elements in a real project and get the expected benefits from it is not so easy.
Not all representatives of Habrasoobshchestvo agreed with our conclusions (and this is great, actually!), So we decided to develop our thoughts and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of gamification with examples from real “corporate” life.
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Imagine a billion buttons that have a different shape, differ in colors - let it be 100 different shapes and as many colors. In addition, they all have different workmanship and varying degrees of wear. Buttons are a bunch and not sorted.
Now imagine that you need to choose according to your taste a few buttons that match your outfit. The prospect of going through a whole mountain of buttons in search of the right one does not look very attractive, does it? And if you need to sort the buttons on the banks (in size, color, etc.), then most likely you will try to avoid such boredom under any pretext.
Now turn the buttons into shells, dump them into the sea and stand on the shore. Many people on the beach like to collect shells. Indeed, this is a very exciting activity, which, in principle, can be called a game. Entering into excitement, a person wants to go through all the seashells lying in the ocean in order to choose the most beautiful and unusual.
What has turned into a rather dull, in essence, occupation (to spend half a day in the sun, bending over in search of some small things, instead of swimming in the sea) into an addictive game? Hand on heart, it is enough to name just one trick that the "organizer" of the game uses - the sea.
There is always the possibility of failure - you can not wait for the desired gift of fate in the form of a beautiful and large shell, or fail to grab it, dropping it, being knocked off by a wave. Excitement!
Let's write out the game mechanics in this example in a little more detail:
Funny: the factors that provide the greatest passion for the game are associated with incomplete information and control, as well as with possible errors of a fairly high price. That is, the fact that in every way is avoided and outlived in corporate systems (and not only in them). And zamanuhi (possession and achivki), often and commonly used in these same systems, are status and are not directly related to the process itself, but are aimed only at the result, and can be achieved by cheating, bypassing the actual game process.
Let's imagine what a developer without TK would do if he was in the place of the king of the sea:
It seems that here the excitement would disappear in the first ten attempts even for the most motivated.
Consider an example where the deliberate introduction of gamification (theoretically) could be a plus is the call centers.
The work of the call center operator and without any gamification is similar to a quiz game. He is asked unpredictable questions, sometimes simple, sometimes nontrivial, sometimes even stupid. Because of this, the work is like a mix of numerous TV shows - from “What? Where? When? ”To“ Your game ”.
Alas, in general, "points" (wages and bonuses) are only received by operators for the speed and number of answers, while the complexity of the questions is not taken into account.
But employees still have different skills and levels of competence. If the question turned out to be too tough for the operator, then the call is transferred to the senior shift or technical specialist. For the right (or yet responsibilities?) To serve VIP customers, special skills and achievements are also required.
Already had a lot of backlog for the game. From the example of the sea, we take the main thing - the possibility of failure.
The process of receiving a call can be visually arranged in the likeness of a TV show, the resources for answering are similar (call a friend, help from the hall). You can even make a semblance of the “prize” sector - randomly issue a 15-minute break (which in the usual case should be asked from the senior shift).
Important : a guaranteed minimum salary should be maintained regardless of the outcome of the game. That is, a game is a system of bonuses, not penalties and penalties. Being involved in it, the employee does not risk his RFP and work in general. A whip is an undelivered bonus. Of course, it is necessary to provide the ability to disable the game mode and it’s boring to work for the RFP.
It is also worth noting that in many call centers and control rooms there is the makings of competition, which can be sharpened by tracking the leaders in receiving calls. Even the display of such a banal indicator, as the best result at the moment, may be able to spur the participants of the "competition". And if you also open the name of this workaholic (employee of the day, employee of the month), then this can serve as an example to follow (“Class result! I want it so much”) and an object of envy (“And how this% username% achieved result?! Some workers may be motivated by this to improve their own performance. This can also be facilitated by keeping the operator constantly aware of how many orders he has already processed. After all, if he knows that before the leadership he can only take 10 calls, then perhaps he will have a second wind.
In this example, the introduction of gamification will allow employees to work with great enthusiasm and bring diversity to the routine work of the call center.
Image source : http://abhishekmittal.com .
Life is complex, and often, it is dominated by half tones, and very rarely you can come across some kind of solution that has only one plus or minus. So gamification in the same case can have both negative and positive sides.
A vivid example is the Gingerbread Project. This, in its essence, corporate social. network with a powerful game mechanic constructor, which is used to create various employee incentive programs.
We will understand how gamification is implemented in this case:
Here we need to answer the question: does gamification help motivate users?
On the one hand, yes. Colleagues encourage colleagues by encouraging each other to do good deeds and receive rewards. It's good.
At the same time, with this approach, a number of negative points may arise. First, where are the ratings, achivki, there is envy (I want the same badge!) And disappointment (did good things, and then someone bypassed you - de-motivation). Secondly, in this case, purely official achievements and personal relationships between employees are mixed: cheating, coalitions - everyone knows this from numerous communities where there are ratings and likes. In addition, if we are dealing with “effective managers,” there is a risk that management will not be able to resist the temptation to reduce costs by slipping some badges and awnings to employees instead of material rewards. But here, of course, there are more questions for such a guide :).
EpicWin - application for task management under iOS. When downloading the application, the user selects a hero, which he will develop in the future. The character has different skills, which can be pumped up by completing their own tasks. When creating a task in the application, the user himself sets the number of points that he will receive by completing this task, as well as those characteristics of the character that will be improved. Then, actually, the task is carried out.
In the case of EpicWin, developers wanted to introduce game mechanics into the routine task management process, thereby encouraging users to solve more tasks. However, instead of achieving this goal, they got an application that can be called a game, in which there are elements of task management, rather than a task manager with game elements.
As a conclusion and argument of the limited solvency of gamification in the corporate sphere, we bring the following paradox to the scene.
A good game is intended to create an illusion of importance and seriousness for a frivolous business. That is why you need a possible loss. This also applies to most of the children's spontaneous games (with the exception of imitation games - but here they are in imitation of serious business!), And well designed products of the gaming industry.
Gamification, on the other hand, is trying to solve the exact opposite of the problem - to give lightness and playfulness to a serious matter. The main obstacle is the unavailability of the same abstract employee of the call center or technical support to switch to the game mode, since it bears real, not game, responsibility. Accordingly, the main risk of successful gamification is a reduction of responsibility (“Well, this is just a game!”).
Not all representatives of Habrasoobshchestvo agreed with our conclusions (and this is great, actually!), So we decided to develop our thoughts and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of gamification with examples from real “corporate” life.
')
Gamification of natural origin
Imagine a billion buttons that have a different shape, differ in colors - let it be 100 different shapes and as many colors. In addition, they all have different workmanship and varying degrees of wear. Buttons are a bunch and not sorted.
Now imagine that you need to choose according to your taste a few buttons that match your outfit. The prospect of going through a whole mountain of buttons in search of the right one does not look very attractive, does it? And if you need to sort the buttons on the banks (in size, color, etc.), then most likely you will try to avoid such boredom under any pretext.
Now turn the buttons into shells, dump them into the sea and stand on the shore. Many people on the beach like to collect shells. Indeed, this is a very exciting activity, which, in principle, can be called a game. Entering into excitement, a person wants to go through all the seashells lying in the ocean in order to choose the most beautiful and unusual.
What has turned into a rather dull, in essence, occupation (to spend half a day in the sun, bending over in search of some small things, instead of swimming in the sea) into an addictive game? Hand on heart, it is enough to name just one trick that the "organizer" of the game uses - the sea.
There is always the possibility of failure - you can not wait for the desired gift of fate in the form of a beautiful and large shell, or fail to grab it, dropping it, being knocked off by a wave. Excitement!
Let's write out the game mechanics in this example in a little more detail:
- the sea each time shows only a part of the shells (material supply in portions);
- the sea does not tell you what other miracles you have not seen, while giving hints - for example, fragments of large shells (dopamine loop);
- the sea gives exercises for speed and agility, showing shells only for a short time (self-affirmation);
- the sea allows you to record achievements - for example, fill your pockets or a jar with shells to the top (the desire to possess things and demonstrate status);
- the sea gives “achivki” and “bonuses” - in the form of rare shells, caught only once per week of vacation (exclusivity).
Funny: the factors that provide the greatest passion for the game are associated with incomplete information and control, as well as with possible errors of a fairly high price. That is, the fact that in every way is avoided and outlived in corporate systems (and not only in them). And zamanuhi (possession and achivki), often and commonly used in these same systems, are status and are not directly related to the process itself, but are aimed only at the result, and can be achieved by cheating, bypassing the actual game process.
Let's imagine what a developer without TK would do if he was in the place of the king of the sea:
It seems that here the excitement would disappear in the first ten attempts even for the most motivated.
Almost finished game
Consider an example where the deliberate introduction of gamification (theoretically) could be a plus is the call centers.
The work of the call center operator and without any gamification is similar to a quiz game. He is asked unpredictable questions, sometimes simple, sometimes nontrivial, sometimes even stupid. Because of this, the work is like a mix of numerous TV shows - from “What? Where? When? ”To“ Your game ”.
Alas, in general, "points" (wages and bonuses) are only received by operators for the speed and number of answers, while the complexity of the questions is not taken into account.
But employees still have different skills and levels of competence. If the question turned out to be too tough for the operator, then the call is transferred to the senior shift or technical specialist. For the right (or yet responsibilities?) To serve VIP customers, special skills and achievements are also required.
Already had a lot of backlog for the game. From the example of the sea, we take the main thing - the possibility of failure.
- Display countdown for response speed: the longer you answer, the fewer bonuses.
- Display a countdown for the interval between calls: the bigger it is, the less bonuses.
- To display the accumulated bonuses and the nearest achievement, which you can get with a certain amount of them - additional output, bonus, free lunch, discounts.
- Operators use different resources to answer calls (help from a senior, corporate portal). For an answer without help, give an additional bonus.
- Team games - teams, links, competitions between them, with prizes.
- Since the subject of calls in some companies is fixed, you can give bonuses for answering calls to rare subjects, thereby stimulating the expansion of professional horizons.
The process of receiving a call can be visually arranged in the likeness of a TV show, the resources for answering are similar (call a friend, help from the hall). You can even make a semblance of the “prize” sector - randomly issue a 15-minute break (which in the usual case should be asked from the senior shift).
Important : a guaranteed minimum salary should be maintained regardless of the outcome of the game. That is, a game is a system of bonuses, not penalties and penalties. Being involved in it, the employee does not risk his RFP and work in general. A whip is an undelivered bonus. Of course, it is necessary to provide the ability to disable the game mode and it’s boring to work for the RFP.
It is also worth noting that in many call centers and control rooms there is the makings of competition, which can be sharpened by tracking the leaders in receiving calls. Even the display of such a banal indicator, as the best result at the moment, may be able to spur the participants of the "competition". And if you also open the name of this workaholic (employee of the day, employee of the month), then this can serve as an example to follow (“Class result! I want it so much”) and an object of envy (“And how this% username% achieved result?! Some workers may be motivated by this to improve their own performance. This can also be facilitated by keeping the operator constantly aware of how many orders he has already processed. After all, if he knows that before the leadership he can only take 10 calls, then perhaps he will have a second wind.
In this example, the introduction of gamification will allow employees to work with great enthusiasm and bring diversity to the routine work of the call center.
Image source : http://abhishekmittal.com .
Non-toy game mechanic risks
Life is complex, and often, it is dominated by half tones, and very rarely you can come across some kind of solution that has only one plus or minus. So gamification in the same case can have both negative and positive sides.
A vivid example is the Gingerbread Project. This, in its essence, corporate social. network with a powerful game mechanic constructor, which is used to create various employee incentive programs.
We will understand how gamification is implemented in this case:
- Game elements - virtual currency "gingerbread". With their help, staff thank each other for something useful. Gingerbread can be spent in a special store, buying something tangible (you can, for example, order pizza at the entire office at the company's expense) or intangible (take extra time off). It all depends on the kindness of the authorities :). These elements help shape values ​​and the right vector of behavior for company employees.
- Badges - are either given by the manager, or are assigned upon reaching a goal (the employee closed the task, achieved a certain result - received a badge). In the long term, this allows you to create a user profile, since the most competent and active employees will have the most badges.
- Contests - transformation of the "have an idea" section on most sites. Works on the principle of auction. Employees offer their ideas and vote for others, while those gingerbreads are at stake. Accordingly, the one whose idea won the most votes becomes the winner and gets all the gingerbread.
- Ratings and leaderboards.
Here we need to answer the question: does gamification help motivate users?
On the one hand, yes. Colleagues encourage colleagues by encouraging each other to do good deeds and receive rewards. It's good.
At the same time, with this approach, a number of negative points may arise. First, where are the ratings, achivki, there is envy (I want the same badge!) And disappointment (did good things, and then someone bypassed you - de-motivation). Secondly, in this case, purely official achievements and personal relationships between employees are mixed: cheating, coalitions - everyone knows this from numerous communities where there are ratings and likes. In addition, if we are dealing with “effective managers,” there is a risk that management will not be able to resist the temptation to reduce costs by slipping some badges and awnings to employees instead of material rewards. But here, of course, there are more questions for such a guide :).
Example of unsuccessful gamification
EpicWin - application for task management under iOS. When downloading the application, the user selects a hero, which he will develop in the future. The character has different skills, which can be pumped up by completing their own tasks. When creating a task in the application, the user himself sets the number of points that he will receive by completing this task, as well as those characteristics of the character that will be improved. Then, actually, the task is carried out.
In the case of EpicWin, developers wanted to introduce game mechanics into the routine task management process, thereby encouraging users to solve more tasks. However, instead of achieving this goal, they got an application that can be called a game, in which there are elements of task management, rather than a task manager with game elements.
findings
As a conclusion and argument of the limited solvency of gamification in the corporate sphere, we bring the following paradox to the scene.
A good game is intended to create an illusion of importance and seriousness for a frivolous business. That is why you need a possible loss. This also applies to most of the children's spontaneous games (with the exception of imitation games - but here they are in imitation of serious business!), And well designed products of the gaming industry.
Gamification, on the other hand, is trying to solve the exact opposite of the problem - to give lightness and playfulness to a serious matter. The main obstacle is the unavailability of the same abstract employee of the call center or technical support to switch to the game mode, since it bears real, not game, responsibility. Accordingly, the main risk of successful gamification is a reduction of responsibility (“Well, this is just a game!”).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/166901/
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