Boost Engagement, Improve Productivity, Fortify Retention: Gamification Leads To Success
Industries using flight simulators, product inventory for sales personnel in the retail sector, and other consumer marketing apps also use games, irrespective of different demographics. Therefore, badges, scores, and leaderboards have become natural extensions for better workplace performance. There are several training programs that fail to engage workforce because they convey information in a decontextualized manner which is too text heavy. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate exciting games and reimagine your training program completely.
The Need To Simplify And Engage
Gamification is the application of game mechanics to drive behavior in a non-gaming context. The prime objective is learner interaction and workplace performance, as opposed to gaming for fun and entertainment. Today, employees feel disengaged when going through lengthy training programs to understand a company’s products and services. Also, little has been done to deploy feedback tools to monitor employees’ progress. Different activities including accounting, sales enablement, training platforms, and others make learning more daunting and time-consuming.
The Fogg Model
The Fogg Model of Behavior is a behavioral model designed by Professor B.J. Fogg to demonstrate the relationship between incentive design and game mechanics.[1]
To drive learners’ behavioral response, trigger, motivation, and ability are 3 major factors. Ability is the time and attention resources required to accomplish any behavior. Without these, it is difficult for employees to perform the required behavior. To achieve this, it is essential to motivate employees with badges and scores on successfully completing a module. Apart from ability and motivation, a trigger is necessary to bring an expected behavior. Trigger instructs the participant to complete the target behavior at the right time.
Game mechanics serve as the basic building blocks to impart engaging learning experiences. These help to satisfy learners’ desires through strategies that are applied to digital learning. Discussed below are some of the gaming techniques used to meet human desires:
- Rewards
Rewards are central to eLearning gamification. Learners are given tangible or intangible rewards for completed actions through points, achievements, badges, and more. - Status
It is the rank achieved by learners during the gamified learning program. The status of participants should be easily accessible by trainers to assess their performance matrix. - Achievements
Achievements may be long-term goals where learners must perform more efficiently to achieve desired results. Once an employee reaches a certain level and receives a reward for his achievement, a badge is displayed to encourage others. - Points
For an effective learning experience, players earn points on completion of a certain level or behavior. Points boost motivation and enable learners to perform better during the entire program. - Avatars
Some people complain that they miss the presence of an instructor while accessing online courses. Gamification overcomes this challenge by using avatars or learning agents to customize the overall experience. - Leaderboards
Leaderboards display ranks and scores achieved by participants, thereby driving competition across the organization. These aid employees to perform the desired behavior.
The Mobile Buzz: Learning On The Go
Today, more than 80% of mobile downloads are games. So, using personalized mobile devices to gamify your learning experience is an optimum choice. Gamification for mobiles has reactivated the interest of employees who are mostly traveling or working from offsite locations. It has enabled learning ‘on the go’, thereby increasing learner interaction with the fun element added to it.
The blend of technology and learning has always sought the attention of educators as well as employees from different organizations. Gamification strategies are seen for different aspects including healthcare (wellness programs), military (simulations), and government offices (behavioral tactics). So, whether you enjoy games or not, it is essential to understand their role in reshaping the modern learning landscape. Undoubtedly, game-based learning helps to explore the whole environment, so that employees can perform more efficiently in real life. The concept is not new as trainers implement games to motivate and inspire their personnel. When applied correctly, games enhance the overall learning experience and delight learners of all ages.
Suggested Further Reading: Game Mechanics & Incentives: You Can Bet On It