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Journal of Promotional Communications Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://promotionalcommunications.org/index.php/pc/index Exploring Consumer Engagement in Gamified Health and Fitness Mobile Apps Ellie Goodwin and Tauheed Ramjaun and Fiona Cownie

To cite this article: Goodwin, E. and Ramjaun, T. Exploring Consumer Engagement in Gamified Health and Fitness Mobile Apps, Journal of Promotional Communications, 5 (2), 176-190

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JOURNAL OF PROMOTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS Consumer Engagement in Gamified Health

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Ellie Goodwin and Tauheed Ramjaun Exploring Consumer Engagement in Gamified Health and Fitness Mobile Apps

This paper explores how Generation Y engages with gamified health and fitness mobile apps focussing on the popular Nike+ and Fitbit apps. An interpretative approach was adopted whereby ten in-depth interviews were carried out to explore this phenomenon from the perspective of the user. Findings suggest that consumers enjoy receiving intrinsic rewards but these only hold value when players understand the behaviour or activity for why they are being rewarded. It was also found that consumers would welcome social media integration in the gamified apps only if a purpose is clearly identified. Finally, competitive elements, such as leaderboards, points and status, are most likely to enhance consumer engagement but brands need to create opportunities for constructive competition.

Keywords:Gamification,BrandEngagement,TheoryofFlow,MobileApps

INTRODUCTION Gamificationisseenasagrowingtrendinmobilepromotionalcommunicationwherebybrands are applying gamemechanics and design to non-gaming contexts in order toconnectwithconsumersinamoreengagingandcreativeway(Tegtmeieretal.2013).Oneofthemostwidelyaccepteddefinitionsofgamificationis“theuseofgamedesigninnon-gamecontexts”(Deterdingetal.2011,p.1)whereagamecanbeconceptualisedasanactivitycomprisingofgoalsetting,clearlyestablishedrules,afeedbacksystemandvoluntaryparticipation(Galloway2004,McGonigal2011).The notion of gamification has been applied in various contexts (Morris et al. 2015,HanusandFox2015,Siexasetal.2016)butwiththeexponentialgrowthofsmartphones,themobileweb, and socialmedia, there has been a growingpopularity of the use ofgamificationinmobileapps(KimandLee2015)withagrowingpotentialforhealthandfitness apps since, according toZuckermanandGal-Oz (2014,p. 1717), “gamificationmakesphysicalactivitymoreenjoyable,thusmotivatesuserstobecomemoreactive”.

To cite this article: Goodwin, E. and Ramjaun, T. Exploring Consumer Engagement in Gamified Health and Fitness Mobile Apps, Journal of Promotional Communications, 5 (2), 176-190


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Therefore,thehealthandfitnessindustrycouldbethesectorthatwouldbenefitmostwiththeapplicationofgamification(ZuckermanandGal-Oz2014)thoughmoreresearchhasyettobeconductedinthatspecificarea(Pereiraetal.2014,Listeretal.2014).Healthand fitnessappshavebecome increasinglypopularespeciallyamongGenerationYorMillennials.AccordingtoarecentMintelreport,Millennialstendtoshowagreater-thanaverage level of interest in health and well-being, partly due to the widespreadavailability of health and fitness apps (Mintel 2015). This paper explores userengagementwithappsusinggamificationtechniquesinthehealthandfitnesscategoryfocussingonthepopularNike+andFitbitapps.LITERATURE REVIEW Gamification Thenotionofgamificationwithintherealmofmarketinghasbeenreceivingincreasingattention in recent academic studies. Burke (2014) argued that the purpose ofgamification is to change behaviour, develop skills and drive innovation amongconsumers.Robsonetal.(2016)supportedthisnotionandpostulatedthatgamificationcanbeonlydefinedasameans tochangebehaviour through theapplicationofgamedesign principles in non-gaming contexts. It is also worth noting that the notion ofreward is being seen as a crucial element in influencing consumer behaviour. Forinstance,ZichermannandCunningham(2011)arguedthatthepossibilityofreceivingareward provided consumers’ incentives in engagingwith game playing. Such rewardsystemswouldbeguidedbyprogresstrackingwherebyanobjectiveismappedoutbyasequence of intermediate goals to encourage user engagement (Buckley and Doyle2014).Therefore,itcanbearguedthatbrandscanshapeconsumerbehaviourthroughthedistributionofrewards(Robsonetal.2016).Ithasalsobeensuggestedthatbrandsneed to make the gaming experience evolve progressively to ensure continuousengagement. For example, Robson et al. (2016) suggested that brands should adddifferentlevelsofdifficultyforcompetitiveplayersandgetnewplayersinvolvedforthesocialplayersastheyprogressedthroughthegamingexperience.Another key aspect of gamification that has been identified as a prime influential ofconsumerbehaviouristheelementofcompetition.ZichermannandCunningham(2011)suggestedthatcompetition isakeyelement indrivingengagementandwhichcanbeachievedthroughstatus,levels,leader-boardsandbadgesusinggamificationprinciples.Similarly, Paharia (2013) also mentioned competition as a key mechanic in agamificationinterfacealongwithonboarding,fastfeedback,goals,badges,points,levels,collaboration,community,andtransparency.However,Burke(2014)warnedbrandstousecompetition judiciouslyas it could reducemotivation forunderachievingplayers.Although there are many benefits for brands that apply gamification, as the playerbecomesmoreexperiencedthechallengesbecomeeasier,whichmakestheprocesslessexciting for the user (Hamari and Lehdonvirta 2010). Zichermann and Cunningham(2011)statedthatplayerspursuingrewardswillnotremainloyalwhenthegameends;forthisreason,brandsneedtoincorporategamificationelementsthatarecontinuous.Using experience points could achieve this because the player is continuouslydeveloping, instead of working towards a specific goal. Key aspects of gamification


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includebadges,levelsandleaderboards,howeverithasalsobeenarguedthattheseonlyholdvaluewhentheyaremadepublictoallplayers(HarwoodandGarry2015).Itisalsovitalforbrandstounderstandthedifferenttypesofplayersandtheiruniquedesiresandmotivations before designing a gamified experience (Eyal 2014). For example, acompetitive player will enjoy badges and leaderboards, whereas social players willappreciateintegrationacrosssocialmediaplatforms(Robsonetal.2016).ResearchfromBartle(1996)categorisesplayersinto:Killers,Socialites,AchieversandExplorers.Killersaredefinedbycompetitionthatfocusonwinningandengagewithleaderboards,levelsandpoints(Bartle1996).Socialitesaredefinedbysocial integrationandengagewithonline communities, Achievers are defined by status and engage with goal tracking(Bartle 1996). Lastly, Explorers are defined by a drive to discover the unknown andengage with the narrative of the game (Bartle 1996). It is important for brands toacknowledgethedifferentplayertypeswithinagamifiedapp,asunderstandingplayermotivationincreasesuserengagement(Robsonetal.2016).Although there are many benefits for brands that apply gamification, as the playerbecomesmoreexperiencedthechallengesbecomeeasier,whichwouldmaketheprocesslessexcitingfortheuser(HamariandLehdonvirta2010).ZichermannandCunningham(2011) stated that players pursuing rewardswouldnot remain loyalwhen the gameends; for this reason brands need to incorporate gamification elements that arecontinuous. Using experience points could achieve this because the player iscontinuously developing, instead ofworking towards a specific goal. Key aspects ofgamification include badges, levels and leaderboards, however these only hold valuewhentheyaremadepublictoallplayers(HarwoodandGarry2015). Gamification and Generation Y Tegtmeier et al. (2013) collected qualitative research on Generation Y’s attitudestowards gamification and identified that they value peer approval of brands.Balakrishnan et al. (2014) supported this by highlighting a relationship betweenelectronic word of mouth (E-WOM) and online communities with brand loyalty andproductpurchase intention.Tegtmeieretal. (2013) identified thatGenerationYusedgamification to receive discounts and rewards, access exclusive information andconsumerswhoparticipateingamificationtypicallypossessstrongerbrandloyaltyandengagement.BrandsarefindingmarketingtoMillennials(akaGenerationY)morechallengingthantraditionalconsumergroupssincetheyhavebeenfoundtobenotoriouslydisloyalandalso tend to view traditional marketing strategies as mediocre and disengaging(Lazarevic2012).TheMillennialgenerationhasalsobeendescribedasamulti-taskinggeneration who have grown up digital and therefore brands need to think ofimplementing increasingly engagingmarketing strategies tomaintain their attention(Tegtmeieretal.2013).Anexampleofthisismobilegamification.TheproliferationofsmartphonesandmobiledevicesarestrongcontributorsforMillennials’habitofusingtechnologyonthego(Brigham2015)whichincludesmobilegaming-estimatedsalesforthe worldwide gaming market were $91.95 billion with mobile gaming surpassingconsolegamesgloballyin2015(Brigham2015).Brigham(2015)alsoarguedthat“withtheincreasingownershipofsmartphonesplusagrowingeaseintheuseofgamedesign


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tools,digitalgamesarebecomingmorepervasiveinthedailylivesofmostindividuals”(p.472).SuchaperspectivesupportstheargumentthatbrandsneedtounderstandhowtheapplygamificationasamarketingstrategytobeengagewiththemobileMillennialgeneration. For instance, Tegtmeier et al. (2013) identified that Generation Y usegamification to receive discounts and rewards, access exclusive information andconsumerswhoparticipateingamificationtypicallypossessstrongerbrandloyaltyandengagement.

The Theory of Flow Many game designers have been inspired by the Theory of Flow developed byCsikszentmihalyi (1975) to enhance user intrinsic interest, curiosity and attention(Faiola et al. 2013). TheTheory of Flowwas developed to explainwhypeople enjoyplaying games. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) categorised Flow into nine elements: settingcleargoals,receivingfeedback,matchingpersonalskillswithchallenges,mergingactionandawareness,concentration,control,alossofself-consciousness,analteredsenseoftimeandintrinsicrewards(Faiolaetal.2013).Competitionhasbeenidentifiedasakeyelement for achieving Flow, as Sharek and Wiebe (2014, p.571) argued:“CsikszentmihalyiproposedthatoneofthemostpowerfulexperiencesinFlowoccurswhen a person is faced with difficult obstacles that they judge are worthwhile toovercome.”HuangandHsieh(2011)researchedintotheusesandgratificationsofFlowtopredictconsumer’sloyaltytowardsgamification.Theresearchrevealedentertainmentandchallengeelementshelptoincreaseconsumerloyalty.However,surprisingly,socialityandinteractivityproducednegligiblesideeffectsonloyalty(Changetal.2013).Flowcanalsoberesponsibleforincreasedengagementasit relates to intrinsic motivational factors, perceived enjoyment, concentration andperceived control.Therefore, if brands can successfully incorporateFlow intomobileapps, they could increase the likelihoodof repeateduse andabehavioural change inengagement and loyalty. The Theory of Flow also identified the experience of totalabsorptionwithinanactivityandwhichwouldbeusuallyassociatedwithachallengethat requires skill, action and awareness (Harwood and Garry 2015). Crucially, “theexperienceitself issoenjoyablethatpeoplewilldoitevenatgreatcost, forthesheersakeofdoing it” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975,p.4). “This is thereforeakey componentofgamification, which arises out of comprehension and experiential mastery of thechallengeswithinaparticularenvironmentandtheaccompanyingemotion”(HarwoodandGarry2015,p.535).Richard and Chandra (2005) found that Flow in online environments strongly affectusers’ behavioural intentions positively. Bilgihan et al. (2016, p. 110) also came to asimilarconclusionintheirstudyofonlineshoppingbehaviouramongMillennials:“WhenGen Y shoppers achieve a state of flow during the shopping experience, the theorysuggeststhattheyaremorelikelytobemotivatedtocontinuetheexperienceandengagewiththewebsite”.LiuandShiue(2014)suggestedthatFlowcanbecategorisedintofourfactors: sociality, interactivity, challenge and novelty. Faiola et al. (2013) define theTheoryofFlowasahighlyenjoyableexperiencewheretheplayerisimmersedindeepconcentrationastheirskillsetsarematchedwiththegameschallenges.Socialityiswhen


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a player recognises their social position within the game (Liu and Shiue 2014).Interactivityis“thedegreeofsocialcohesionprovidedbyinteractions”(LiuandShiue2014,p.126).Challengeisreceivingcompetitionfromplayersandovercomingperceiveddifficultiesandnoveltyislinkedtocognitivecuriositywhenplayinggames(LiuandShiue2014).Areviewoftheliteratureindicatedagrowinginteresttobetterunderstandhowbrandscanusegamificationtechniquestoenhanceengagementwithconsumers.ThreeconstructsderivedfromCsikszentmihalyi’s(1975,1990)TheoryofFlowwereidentifiedas salient in the literature related to consumer behaviour: intrinsic rewards, socialintegrationandcompetition.Inthispresentstudy,theseconstructswouldbeexploredwithreferencetoaspecificcategoryofusersofhealthandfitnessappsexclusively. Figure 1: Conceptual Framework and Areas of Investigation

Theconceptualframeworkindicatedtheareasofinvestigationandparametersofstudy.Themainobjectivesofthisstudywouldbeto(1)gaininsightsontherelevanceandroleoftheseconstructsonusers’gamificationexperienceofhealthandfitnessappsand(2)gainabetterunderstandonusers’formsofengagementwithsuchapps.METHODOLOGY An interpretive and qualitative approach was adopted for this study just to theexploratory nature of this investigation probing into Generation Y’smotivations andattitudes towards mobile apps incorporating gamification and the impact on userengagement.Apurposivesamplingstrategywasadoptedtoensuretheparticipationoftherightuserprofilewhoregularlyengageswithhealthandfitnessmobileappswithgamificationelements. In-depthsemi-structured interviewswerecarriedoutwithtenfemaleusersagedbetween20-22yearsoldlivingintheUK.Datawasanalysedusingathematic approach (Grbich 1999, Braun and Clarke 2013). Sets of codes were firstestablishedandthentransformedintolonger-phrasedthemes.Athemeisdefinedasanoutcomeofcoding,categorisation,oranalyticreflection,notsomethingthatis,“initself,coded”Saldana (2013,p.14). After a familiarisationwith thedata, initial codesweregenerated. Therewas then a search and review for themeswhichwere then refined(Silverman2011).


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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Intrinsic Rewards are the Foundation for Consumer Loyalty ZichermannandCunningham(2011)explainthatintrinsicrewardsmustbecontextual,usereal-timefeedback,integratewithsocialmediaandbeavehicleofaccomplishment.Participant 1 described the gamification reward elements of Fitbit as, “levels, badges,trophiesandstatus.”Whenaskediftheseconceptsincreasedengagementwiththebrandparticipant1said,“Ifyouwanttowinatrophyyoudogetquitecompetitive.”Whenaskedwhatelementofgamificationisthemosteffectiveforbrandengagement,participant2replied:

“I think probably the rewards just because that is an incentive and I thinkeveryonelikesabitofareward.Ithinkaslongasthereisarewardattheendeveryoneisgoingtowanttouseit.It’snicetofeelrewardedfordoingsomething.”

Zuckerman and Gal-Oz (2014) advised that rewards should contain goal-setting,instruction,reputation,statusandgroupidentification.Howeverparticipant1explained:

“theFitbitappdoesn’treallypromotethebadgesanditdoesn’tclearlysaywhatyouneedtocompleteinordertoachieveabadge.”

Whenparticipant5wasaskedhowshefeelswhensheachievesabadgesherevealed,“Itmakesmelaugh,butlikeinagoodway,itdoesengageyou.”Participant7mentioned,“Itmakesmefeelverypositive,itencouragesmetogorunningagain.”Participant8added:

“It’sanicesurprise,it’snicetogetanupdateandIthinkitdoesspuryouon.Ithinkifthebadgeswereonthefirstscreenandtheyblackedouttheonesthatyouhaven’tachievedandtoldyouwhatyouneededtodotogetthemthatwouldbemoreeffective.”

Zichermann and Cunningham (2011) suggest that earning a badge represents playereffortandaccomplishment;theseareappealingfactorsasmostpeopleenjoydefiningorexpressing themselves throughachievementandacquisition. It ishighly important tounderstandhowplayersengagewithrewardsbecauseRobsonetal.(2016)suggestthatbrandscanshapeconsumerbehaviourthroughthedistributionofrewards.Seixasetal.(2016)state thatwhether thereward is tangibleor intangible it shouldbepresentedafteranaction,withtheintenttorepeatthespecificbehaviour.Howeverparticipant1revealedthatwiththeFitbitapp:

“Badgesaredistributedeverynowandthenanditwillpopupsayingthatyouhaveachievedonewhenyoudon’tnecessarilyknowwhatfor.”

Participant1addedifFitbitweretodisplayplayer’sbadgesforeveryonetoseeitwouldmakethemmoremotivational.ThissupportedtheresearchconductedbyHarwoodandGarry(2015)thatintrinsicrewardsonlyholdvaluewhentheyaremadepublicforallplayerstoview.


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ZichermannandCunningham(2011)claimthatrewardsarevitalforgrowingloyaltyastheyencouragebehaviouralchange.Thisissupportedthroughparticipant1’sstatementthat:

“Ifyoudecidetodownloadanappthathasgamificationelementssuchasearningrewardsorachievingastatus,youwillthereforegooutandusethatappmoretobuilduppoints.”Participant4agreed:“Ilikethefeelingofwinningsomething,itprovidesyouwitharelationshiptothebrand.”

Participant4alsoagreedthatintrinsicrewardsinfluencebehaviouralchangebecause:“Ifyouareonepointawayfromsomethingfree,whenyou’remakingthedecisionofwheretogo,you’llchoosethatplace.”

Thissupportsthenotionforbrandstoincludetangiblerewardsintothegame,wherebyplayerscanusetherewardsinreal-time,forexampleastorediscount.Whenaskedwhatelement of gamification (social integration, competition or intrinsic rewards) ismostsuccessfulforbrandloyalty,participant1responded:

“Intrinsicrewardsbecauseit’slikethebrandisgivingsomethingbacktoyouforbeingsoloyalandIthinkthatisagreatwayforgettingpeopleinvolvedwiththebrand.”

Participant9agreed that intrinsicrewardsare themosteffective forachievingbrandloyalty.Participant5believedthatcompetitionandintrinsicrewardswouldbethemostsuccessfulforbrandloyalty:

“BecauseIknowveryfewfriendswhowouldsharetheiractivityontheseappsthroughtheirsocialmedia.”

Participant8mentionedthat:“Everyonelikestogetsomethingfreeoraniceperk,butitprobablydependsontheagerangeorperson.”

Participant 10 concurred: “an intrinsic reward scheme is what attracts my custom,which could lead to loyalty.” Participant 1 added: “It’s all about saving money andwinningsomething.”Integration of Social Media Requires a Purpose Thisstudyrevealedthatsocialcomponentofmobilegamificationwouldhaveapositiveimpactonconsumerengagementonlyiftheyseeaclearpurposeofsuchintegrationinthegamingexperience:

“Idon’tlikeit,it’sannoyingandunlessit’ssomethinginterestingIthinkitwouldputpeopleofflookingatyoursocialmedia”(Participant1).

While in a previous study, Burke (2014) concluded that social integration is a keyamplifierinmotivation,thisstudyarguedthatparticipantsneedtoseeaclearpurpose:Ithinkitdependsonthebrandandhowtheydecidetouseit,therehastobeapurposeto it” (Participant 2). For instance, participant 10 described herself as a reallycompetitivepersonandclaimedthatoneofherfavouritefeaturesoftheNike+runningappwasthatshecouldshareherprogresswithherfriendsonsocialmedia.Participant1mentionedthatshelikedthesocialintegrationbecause:

“Everynowandthentheysendyouanotificationlikeyouhaven’tbeenonarunlately,ifyoudothismuchyou’regoingtoburnthisamountofcaloriesorreachthislevel.”


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This supports the research from Morris et al. (2013) that one purpose for socialintegrationisfeedback.Feedbackisausefultoolforengagingandmotivatingplayers,however,itshouldprovidespecificandsufficientinformationforgoalachievementandtheplayershouldreceivethefeedbackshortlyaftertheeventisbeingevaluated(Morrisetal.2013).WhenaskedaboutthefeedbackdeliveredbyNike+andFitbitparticipant1explained:

“IwouldsayNike’smaybeonceaweek,nottoooftenotherwisethatwouldannoyme,Fitbitupdatesyouonceadaywhenyou’vealmostcompletedachallengetohelpmotivateyoutoaccomplishit.”

TheseformsoneofPaharia’s(2013)tenkeymechanicsofgamification:fastfeedback.Whenparticipant1wasaskedifsheeverusedthesocialmediasharingoptionstoshareherNike+andFitbitactivitysheclaimed:

“NoIdon’t,noonecaresandIdon’twanttokeepannoyingotherpeople’snewsfeeds.”

WhenaskedifsheeversharedanyofthebadgesachievedthroughFitbitonhersocialmediashesaid:“NoIthinkit’sshowingoffandabitcringe.”Participant5added:

“Idon’tparticularlylikeit,likeIdon’treallycare,Idon’tminditwhenit’slinkedtosomethinglikeInstagram,butwhenit’slikesharethisproduct,Idon’tthinkthere’saneedforit.”

Participant8 likedtheconvenienceofsigning intoapps throughsocialmediabutshewouldn’tshareherNike+activitybecause:

“Idon’tthinkanyonereallycaresifI’vegoneona5Krun!Idon’tsharemybadgesbecause Idon’t thinkanyonewould care, there’snot apurposeas towhyyoushouldshareit,likeacompetitionoranincentive.”

WhenaskedaboutNike’sin-appmotivationalmessagesfromfamousathletesparticipant1said:“IfinditreallyannoyingbecausewhenI’mrunningI’mfocusedanditdisruptsme.” This function could impact player’s Flow experience; which is an importantdimension to gamification as Flow explores the positive psychology of gaming andstudies positive emotions, feedback on individual performance, heightened skill levelthroughcompetitionandintrinsicrewards(Morrisetal.2013).Participant8explained:

“Themotivationalmessages from famousathletesmightevende-motivatemebecause ifyouare inthezone listeningtoyourmusicandthensomething justcomesonitmightbreakupyourrhythmandthatwouldbeannoying.”

Participant3added,“Ithinkit’sabitcringetobehonest.”Participant3alsobelievedthatthemotivationalmessageswouldbemoreeffectivewithavarietyofcelebritiesinsteadofjustfamousathletes.Participant7alsomentionedthat:

“It’squitecheesy, itdoesn’treallymakemefeelanything,but I’msure itdoessomethingpsychological.”

WOMandE-WOMaresignificantfactorsforparticipantswhendecidingtodownloadorpurchaseanapp.Participant1admittedthatshewouldnotdownloadanappifithadlessthanafour-starrating.Participant5downloadedtheFitbitappbecause,“allofmyfriendshaditandIwantedtogetinvolved.”Participant6preferredlookingatthestarratingratherthanthereviewswhendecidingtodownloadanappbecauseit’seasiertodigesttheinformationandquickertoaccess.Participant6admitted:


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“Idon’treallyusetheNike+appthatmuchanymoresinceI’vedownloadedtheFitbitapp,becausesomanypeopleIknowhaveFitbitinstead.”Participant9reliedonWOMandthestarratingbeforedecidingtodownloadanapp:

“Iwouldn’tgoforanappwithlessthanthreestars,butifIwaspayingfortheappIwouldprobablyreadthereviews.”

Participant8downloadedFitbitbecauseallofherfriendshaditandshewantedtogetinvolved,shealsoreliesfirstlyonWOMfromherfriends,thenonlinereviews.Participant8declaredthat:

“EveryonearoundmehadaFitbitsoitwasnicetogetinvolved,itwasabitofafashionstatementatuniversity.”

Participant8wasputofftheNike+appbecauseheronlinecommunitywasreallysmallasopposedtohercommunityonFitbit.Furthermore,Balakrishnanetal.(2014)supportthisbyhighlightingarelationshipbetweenE-WOMandonlinecommunitieswithbrandloyaltyandproductpurchaseintention.Competition Increases Engagement if Used Judiciously Seixasetal.(2016)explainedthatsomeplayersaremotivatedthroughaccomplishmentand work towards goals; these players seek challenges and status. Participant 1supportedthis,“Ifyourfriendsareonahigherlevelit’llmotivateyoutogooutforarun.”Participant5agreed:

“I think it’s good because you’ll aspire to other people’s achievements on theleader-board,andno-onewantstobeatthebottom.Youcouldalmostviewitastheweakestplayer.”

Participant6added:“My friends and I actually had a competition the other day andwewere evengettingupinseminarsandwalkingaround,justtotryandwinthecompetition!”

HanusandFox(2015)believethatcompetitionwillincreaseifresultsaremadepublicto all playerswithin the online community. This can be tested through participants’views of the leader-board that is public, or the NikeFuel element which is private.Participant1said:

“Iprefertheleader-boardbecauseit’smoremotivatingandshowshowfaryou’reoffwinningorgettingahead.”

Participant3revealed:“I really like theNikeFuel because you can track your progress and see yourimprovement.It’salsoreallyeasytoseethelevelsanditdoespushyoutogothatlittlebitharder.”

Participant2alsoadmittedthatsheisnotthebiggestfanoftheleader-boardbecauseshepreferredtokeepherprogressprivateandthoughttheleader-boardcouldbequiteelitist. Participant 4 also thought that the Nike+ running app was a bit too elitist.Participant3 thought theNikeFuelelementwasgoodbecause itmakes theappmoreinteractive,“Itcreatesaninternalcompetition.”However,shealsolikedtheleader-boardbecauseitgivesyousomethingtoaspiretoandherandherfriendsuseittoencourageeachother.


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Whencomparingthebadgestotheleader-boardonFitbitparticipant5admittedthatsheismore engagedwith the leader-boardbecause there is that elementof competition.Participant7spokeoftheNikeFuel:

“Ithinkit’sagoodincentive,butit’squitehardtogettothenextlevel,I’mongreenatthemomentwhichis155miles,butthentoreachthebluelevelit’s620miles.Inmyeyesthat’sveryunrealistic,theyobviouslyhavearangeofusers,butforthenormaleverydayusersitshouldbemorevaried.”

Participant8declared:“IfIdidn’thavemyNikeFuelforthedayitwoulddefinitelymotivatemetogooutforarunanddosomeactivitytogetthelevelup.”

Participant9claimed:“IdothinktheNikeFuelisagoodidea,butIthinkit’smoreeffectiveifyouarealong-distancerunner.Theleader-boardisgoodbecauseyoucanseethefastesttimeorlongestdistancethatweek.Ifoneofyourfriendshasrunthatdayandyouhaven’titdefinitelymotivatesyou.”

WhencomparingtheNikeFueltotheleader-boardparticipant1said:

“IlikecomparingmyscorestomyfriendsandifI’mfarbehindit’llmotivatemetogoforarun.”

However,thiscouldincursocialcomparison.Socialcomparisonoccurswhenaplayerevaluatestheirownabilitiesbycomparingthemwiththeabilitiesofothers,thisiscommonlyusedinfitnessgamificationappstopromotephysicalactivity(ZuckermanandGal-Oz,2014).Participant1revealed:“MyfriendsandIwillhavebanterabouthowmuchrunningwe’vedone,orifsomeone’sbehind.Itdoesmotivateyouwithineachother,whenIlookattheleader-boardIwilltryandedgepastthem.”Someacademicsbelievesocialcomparisoncanheightenmotivationbyplayerswantingto outperform others.Whereas other academics believe it can be less effective, evenhavinganegativeeffectonphysicalactivity(ZuckermanandGal-Oz2014).Participant6spokeaboutthecompetitionelement:

“Itmakesyouwanttocheckitbecauseofthatcompetitiveside,howeveritmightbeanegativeaspectforpeoplewhoaren’tthatcompetitive,butformepersonallyIthinkitworksreallywell.”

Hanus andFox (2015) argue that the effectivenessof a leader-boarddependson theplayer’s position by offering upward and downward comparisons on performance.Players at the top of the leader-board may feel more positive and even superior;however,beingtopoftheleader-boardmayalsoaddunwantedpressure.Participant7claimed:

“Ilikebeingontheleader-board,obviouslywhenyou’renotatthetopit’snotasgoodbutsometimesthat’sunachievable.”

The effectiveness of competition depends on whether it is constructive ordeconstructive.Constructivecompetitionoccurswhencompetitionisafunexperienceforplayers,whereasdeconstructivecompetitionisanegativeexperienceforatleastoneplayer(HanusandFox2015).Itisunclearwhetherleader-boardsfacilitateconstructiveor deconstructive competition, however, most leader-boards typically highlight onewinner(HanusandFox2015).HanusandFox(2015)arguedthatleader-boardsmight


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beaformofdeconstructivecompetitiongiventhefactthatitiseasyforuserstoviewothergamers’progressandmakesocialcomparisons.Theysuggestedthatthiscouldleadtoanegativeratherthanpositiveoutcome.Whenaskedifthecompetitionelementcouldde-motivateauseriftheywerelowscoringontheleader-boardparticipant7said:

“Iguessitdependsontheperson,somepeoplewouldseeitasachallengebutothers might see it as a road block, personally no it wouldn’t effect myengagement.”

Thereasonbrandsincorporatesocialcomparisonintothedesignoffitnessgamificationapps is because users becomemore physically active in order to outperform others(Zuckerman and Gal-Oz 2014). When asked if the gamification elements increasedengagementparticipant1said:

“Yes,definitelybecauseyouhaveacompetitionwithyourselfandyouwanttoseeyourselfachieveiteachday.Forexample,ifI’monlyathousandstepsoffmygoalonFitbitI’llmotivatemyselftogooutforawalktoreachmytarget.”

Participant1explainedthatthechallengeandcompetitionelementinNike+andFitbitare,“reallygoodforgettingpeoplemotivatedthroughtheirfriends.”Whenaskedifherengagementincreasesduringachallengewithherfriends,participant1said:

“Yes,definitely.EvenifI’matworkI’llmakesureIgetupandmovearound,orratherthancatchingthebusI’llwalk,itdefinitelymakesmemorefocusedandIengageandchecktheappmoreregularly.WhenI’mtryingtowinacompetition,Iwilldoaridiculousamountmore.”

Participant3agreedthatcompetitionwasthemostsuccessfulgamificationelementforincreasingengagement. Participant5 regularlyparticipates in competitionswithheronline community through Fitbit, and during a competition she will engage morefrequently with the app. When asked what element of gamification increases herengagementparticipant5said:

“Competition,becauseevenifyou’renotacompetitiveperson,you’llalwayswanttooutdoyourself.”

Participant6thinksthecompetitionelementsubconsciouslyincreasesyourengagementbecause:

“WhenmyfriendsandIareinvolvedinacompetitionwechecktheappallthetime.”

Participant 7 mentioned that she was currently in a competition with her workcolleaguestoreach155miles:

“Ithinkthelevelsandleader-boardsareagoodwayofencouragingpeopletousetheapp.”

Whenaskedwhatelementofgamificationwouldincreaseuserengagementparticipant8said:“Maybethechallengesbecauseyouhavetogetupandactivelyusetheapp.”CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ThisstudyconfirmedseveralaspectsoftheTheoryofFlowidentifiedpreviouslyintheliteraturethatwouldhaveapositiveimpactonuserengagementwithhealthandfitnessapps.However,itwasalsofoundthattherewerecertainconditionsthatbrandsneededtotakeintoconsideration.Firstly,rewardsmustbepresentedtoplayersafteranaction,withtheintenttorepeatthespecificbehaviour(Seixasetal.2016).Forinstance,users


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oftheFitbitappweresurprisedwhentheyreceivedarewardandoftendidnotknowthebehaviourforwhytheywerebeingrewarded.Onewayforbrandstogoaboutthiscouldbetoshowcasealloftheavailablebadgesonthehomepageandunderneatheachbadgeclearly label the activity that needs to be performed in order to achieve the badge.Furthermore,Fitbit couldblackout eachbadge that is yet tobeearnedandmakeallbadgesavailablefortheonlinecommunitytosee.ThiswouldsupporttheresearchfromZuckerman and Gal-Oz (2014) that rewards should contain group identification.Rewardscouldalsobeprovidedinatangiblewaytoencourageconsumerstomovefromgamingtostorepurchase,forinstanceproductdiscountscouldbeofferedin-game.Secondly, in order to maximise engagement brands must develop apps that includecompetition, inevitably involving social comparison. Prior research argued that theeffectivenessofsocialcomparisondependsonaplayer’sposition(ZuckermanandGal-Oz2014)andthatleaderboardsfacilitatedeconstructivecompetitionasonlyonewinneris chosen (Hanus and Fox 2015). However, brands should present players withopportunities for constructivecompetition tooverride thenegativeeffectsassociatedwithsocialcomparison.Forinstance,brandscouldacknowledgeplayersatthebottomoftheleader-boardandsendamotivationalmessage,facilitatingupwardperformancecomparison. Furthermore, brands could send randomised rewards to anyone on theleaderboardwhodidnotwin,increasingengagement,motivationandpraisingplayersfortakingpart.Thiswouldfacilitateconstructivecompetitionasmorethanoneplayer’sachievementsarerecognisedandcompetitionisviewedasafunexperience.Brandsalsoneedtobearinmindthatplayersenjoycompetitionandsocialcomparisonwithintheirchosen online communities. However, when this is exposed to amuch larger group,throughsocialnetworkingsitesplayersworryaboutshowingoffandfeelingpressurised.Arecommendationforbrandswouldbetointegrateasocialnetworkingplatformwithineach app, providing users with the opportunity to share their rewards, activity andresultsthroughthecomfortoftheirchosenonlinecommunity.Brandsmustidentifyapurpose for social media integration with mobile apps in order to engage with aGenerationYaudience.Thisresearchalsofoundthatthepreferredpurposeforsocialintegrationwouldbeforfeedbackandnotifications.Morrisetal.(2013)believedthatfeedbackwasausefultoolforengagingandmotivatingplayers;however,itshouldprovidespecificandsufficientinformationforgoalachievementandplayersshouldreceivefeedbackshortlyaftertheeventisbeingevaluated.TheresearchrevealedthatGenerationYseeksvalidationfrompeers through online communities, WOM or E-WOM, which supports the notion forfeedback.Brandscoulddevelopasocialnetworkingplatformthrougheachappwiththepurposeofprovidingfeedback.However,brandsmust findtherightbalancebetweennotifications and updates, as too much interaction will discourage Generation Y toengagewiththeapp.Lastly,akeyqualitythattheGenerationYseeksinmobileappsisconvenienceandtheyrely heavily onWOM and E-WOM before deciding to download or purchase an app.GenerationYliveuptotheirso-calledfickleanddisloyalnatureastheywillswiftlydeleteanapp if it isnot servingapurpose.Main reasons fordeletinganappare: toomanyglitches, adverts, toomuch sponsored content, hidden in-apppurchasesor if the app


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takesup toomuchmemoryon theirphone.A recommendation forbrands looking todevelopmobileappsistonotlaunchtheappbeforeitiscompletelyready,asthiscouldimpact Generation Y’s view of the brand and causes a long-lasting negative effect.Generation Y view convenience as a key quality in mobile apps and look for quickassurancewhendecidingtodownloadorpurchaseanapp.Brandsshould investtimeandeffortindesigningtheappname,logoandreadingthereviewspostedbytheapp’susers, as these are all key areas Generation Y look towards for validation. Mostimportantly,Brandsavoidinterruptingtheplayers’Flow.This paper chose to concentrate on gamification in health and fitness mobile appsfocussingonMillennialsbecauseoftheirhighusagewithsmartphonesandsocialmedia.Future research could explore the effectiveness of gamification towards differentdemographicprofilessuchasdifferentagegroupsorgender.Therecouldalsobefuturestudies of a longitudinal nature thatwould help depict a change in engagement andloyaltyoveraperiodoftime.

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