Desperately Seeking Theory: Gamification, Theory, and the Promise of a Data/AI-Driven New Science of Design
- 9. some better questions
What active substance in what dosage affects what
condition under what circumstances? How?
Do 500 mg of orally administered acetylsalicylic acid
affect migraine in adult chronic migraine patients?
How?
Do publicly displayed achievements linked to
publicly known as hard-to-attain goals support goal-
setting in achievement-oriented individuals? How?
- 11. what is theory? (a quick refresh)
A theory is a set of statements
expressing a nomological network
of constructs and their relations. It
is tied to observable phenomena
through operationalisations.
Whitney, Kite & Adams, 2013; Cronbah & Meehl, 1955
- 12. why theory? (a quick refresh)
Whitney, Kite & Adams, 2013
• Allows to describe, explain,
predict, and control reality
• Allows to systematically organise
and extend knowledge
- 16. the current basic mediation model
design
element 2
magic
motivation! behaviour
design
element 1
design
element 3
e.g. Hamari, Koivisto & Sarsa, 2014
- 21. the state of gamification theory
“… a certain Chinese encyclopaedia entitled
‘Celestial Empire of benevolent Knowledge’.
In its remote pages it is written that the
animals are divided into: (a) belonging to the
emperor, (b) embalmed, (c) tame, (d) sucking
pigs (e) sirens, (f) fabulous, (g) stray dogs, (h)
included in the present classification, (i)
frenzied, (j) innumerable, (k) drawn with a
very fine camelhair brush, (l) et cetera, (m)
having just broken the water pitcher, (n) that
from a long way off look like flies.”
issue
#1
we have chinese encyclopaedias
- 26. we’re stuck on low-level design features
issue
#3a
Deterding et al., 2011
where the
action is
- 32. johnmarshall reeve
»Motivation’s new paradigm is one in
which behavior is energized and directed
not by a single grand cause but, instead,
by a multitude of multilevel and coacting
influences.«
understanding motivation & emotion (2009: 45)
- 35. Aparicio et al., 2012
Sailer et al., 2013 Zhang, 2008
Zichermann&
Cunningham,2011
none of this is empirically tested
issue
#2
- 54. points badges leaderboards
Tracking, Feedback Goals, surprise Competition
we focus on features …
when we should look at how features in relation
to dispositions afford motivational functions
- 58. motivational affordance
The complex of necessary and sufficient
relations of actor dispositions and
environment features that render an
action or event functionally significant for
a specific motive
Deterding, under review
- 63. jad abumrad
»Facebook has created a
laboratory of human behavior
the likes of which we’ve never
seen.«
the trust engineers (2015)
- 64. At any moment, software
companies are running
millions of a/B tests
to optimise user engagement,
each of which is an
experiment in waiting
- 68. But to know what to test &
how to automate, you need …
theory
- 69. »Online hypothesis testing can accelerate both
applied and basic Interaction Design Science by
making it fast and easy to obtain ecologically-
valid measures of the effects of designs on user
behavior. Online controlled experiments can help
build practical, generalizable, and scientifically-
validated theories of how and why designs affect
human interactions.«
derek Lomas
optimizing motivation and learning with large-
scale game design experiments (2014: 7)
- 84. Performance data
Improvement suggestions
Task length design
Task descriptions
Initial balancing theories
Initial indicators of skill
Optimal difficulty curve
Indicators for skill, difficulty
researcher
designeruser
Task sequence &
task support & feedback
Engagement &
performance data
data/ai
- 96. we can be at the forefront of design evolution …
- 97. … if we loop research into the world’s largest
design lab that is running every day.
Data, suggestions
Designs/tweaks
Theories,
formalisations,
indicators
Data,
indicators
researcher
designeruser
Adapted content &
interface
Experience &
behaviour data
data/ai