Dan Lockton, he of the Design with Intent toolkit, has set out what he describes as 11 gambits for influencing user behaviour. These include:
- Challenges & Targets – Give users something extra such as a defined goal that gives them a buzz for taking part.
- Unpredictable reinforcement – Don’t let the users get complacent – they shouldn’t be expecting a treat just for taking part
- Scores & Ratings – Feedback that shows where in the pack you are
- Levels & Progression – Goal oriented users are fulfiled by levelling up
- Rewards – pat on the head, ’nuff said. Closely related to the idea of challenges and targets
- Playfulness – Encourage participation by offering a fun play element
- Storytelling – Engage users through narrative
- Gaps & Voids – Leaving deliberate voids that the user can’t help but try to fill
- Roleplaying – Allocating roles for the user to fulfill
- Collections & Aquisitions – take advantage of the hoarding nature of people
- Birth a Meme – Plan ahead for the design being shared and spread around
I like how many of these ideas overlap with the explicit techniques used by game designers to keep gamers playing that I discussed recently. Particularly: challenges, unpredictable reinforcement, scores, progression, rewards, aquisition, and roleplaying, are all techniques that game players and designers are used to. The difference is though that these gambits are not about creating games but guiding behaviour in users of other systems.
