players journey: 5-step design framework for longterm engagement

The Player’s JourneyA 5-Step Framework for Designing Engaging Experiences

Amy Jo Kim, Ph.D. © 2013 All Rights Reserved

1. Insight: Understand Your Players

Who are your (early-adopter) players?

How do they like to interact?

Killers Achievers

SocializersExplorers

Bartles 4 Player Types (1996)

Jane McGonigalRichard Bartle

Points, Badges, Levels, Leaderboards… appeal primarily to Achievers

Interacting

Acting

Compete

CollaborateExplore

Express

Content People

Kim’s Social Actions: Focus on Motivation

Express

Explore

Compete

Collaborate

Jane McGonigalRichard Bartle

If you’re building a social app, instead of asking “who are my player types?” ask

“what social actions motivate my players?”

Which activities are intrinsically motivating?

2. Motivation: Unmet Needs & Pain Points

Extrinsic Rewards often Backfire

can impair creative thinking and intrinsic motivation

Effective for completing simple tasks and guiding players towards

system mastery

Extrinsic Rewards Sometimes Work

Tap into Intrinsic Motivation FIRSTaddress a NEED/PAIN POINT for your micro-vertical

CONNECT via shared glimpses of everyday life, EVESDROP on other people’s lives

Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives.

Mastery — the urge to get better at something that matters.

Purpose — AKA belonging, desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves

Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives.

Mastery — the urge to get better at something that matters.

Purpose — AKA belonging, desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves

Autonomy & Choice

Competence, Mastery & Learning

Purpose, Relatedness & Belonging

Motivation & Game Elements

Autonomy& Choice

Purpose& Belonging

Mastery& Learning

BackStory & Mission

Real-world Impact

Group Quests

Group Stats

Connect w/Friends

Join a Teams, Guilds or Faction

Progress Markers

Skill Systems

Reputation Systems

Mission Trees

Real-time Feedback

Collections

Unlocks

Choose Your Role

Customize Your Character

Customize Your Background

Explore a World, Map or Taxonomy

Purchase Items

How does the player’s experience change over time?

3. Lifecycle: Unfolding the Experience

Newbie

Regular

Enthusiast

Onboarding

Habit-Building

Mastery

To drive sustained engagement, design for 3 stages

1) Onboarding 2) Habit-building 3) Mastery

Regulars need fresh content/activities/challengesNewbies need to learn the ropeswelcome + goals + progress + achievable rewards

Regulars need fresh content/activities/challenges

Experts need exclusivity, recognition, impact

Increasing Challenge Ongoing Engagement

Understanding Flowincreasing challenge ongoing engagement

4. Progress: The Path to Mastery

What markers & feedback guide skill development?

1. Skill Points (AKA Score, Rank)earned via interacting with the system – reflects mastery of the activity or gamePersonalSkill: skill rating/ranking of an individualGroup Skill: skill rating/ranking of a group

Keeping Score: 4 Types of Points Systems

Redeemable Points Personal Skill Points

Redeemable Points Collective Skill Points

1. Skill Points (Score, Rank)earned via interacting with the system – reflects mastery of the activity or gamePersonalSkill: skill rating/ranking of an individualGroup Skill: skill rating/ranking of a group

2. Experience Points (XP) uni-directional metric – only goes UP (reflects persistence + skill)earned directly via customers’ actions - used to track & reward certain activitiesPersonal XP: reflects a customer’s actions & accomplishmentsGroup XP: reflects the actions & accomplishments of a group


Personal XP (World of Warcraft)

Group XP (Nike+)

it feels good to be part of something larger than yourself



3. Currency (credits, coins, chips, tokens, bucks)bi-directional metric – goes up and downearned or bought within the system – can be redeemed within the system for goods or servicesEarned Currency: earned via customer actions – used to track & reward certain activitiesPurchased Currency: purchased with $$ to acquire exclusive goods and services


XP

Premium Currency Basic CurrencyXP

Earned $$ Purchased $$ XP

Premium Currency

Basic CurrencyXP



3. Currency (credits, coins, chips, tokens, bucks)bi-directional metric – goes up and downearned or bought within the system – can be redeemed within the system for goods or servicesEarned Currency: earned via customer actions – used to track & reward certain activitiesPurchased Currency: purchased with $$ to acquire exclusive goods and services

4. Social Points (AKA Reputation, Ratings, Likes)earned via the actions of OTHER players – can be a proxy for quality/reputation/influence lets you track & reward socially valuable contributions & actions


Social Points (Amazon reviews) Social Points for Usefulness (Amazon)

Social Points (Flickr “interestingness”) Social Points for sentiment (Reddit)

Social Points (Flickr “interestingness”) Social Points for Reputation (Stack Overflow)

Social Points (Flickr “interestingness”) Social Points for Sportsmanship (League of Legends)

Feedback, Levels, Rewards & Unlocksgive context & meaning to your points system

PRO TIP: velvet-rope leaderboards for experts & enthusiasts

Leaderboards showcase your most skilled and devoted players

Pro Tip: If you’re gonna use Leaderboards, let players Slice-n-Dice the rankings & groupings

Social Leaderboards enable Social Actions

Visible Social Actions Set the Tone

Missions Guide & Motivate the Player

Unlocks reveal functionality & complexity over time

Pro Tip: Use Group Unlocks to promote & reward teamwork

When _________ I want to ________________ so I can _____________ trigger activity + goal outcome

5. Loops: Building Sustained Engagement

Engaging ActivityTask / Mission / Game / Quiz / Gift

Trigger

Feedback & Progress Stats / Challenges / Awards / Messages

Motivating EmotionsFun / Delight / Curiousity / Belonging / Purpose

CTACustomize / Share / Help / Compete

Start with a (triggered) engaging activity


Trigger


Trigger


Followup with Feedback & Progress


Trigger


… designed to elicit Motivating Emotions



Trigger


Then direct the action with a compelling CTA



Engagement changes throughout a player’s lifecycle

Learn to???

Checkin Daily to ?????

Become skilled at ????

Onboarding

Habit-Building

Mastery

First Engagement: Onboarding

Feedack & ProgressFeedack & Progress

Email from FriendEmail from Friend View Content

View Content

FB/Twitter PostFB/Twitter Post

Interact with Content

Interact with Content

Call to ActionCall to Action

Re-engagement: Habit-Building

New MessagesNew Messages

With Social Feedback

CTAWhat to do next

CTAWhat to do next

New Content New Content

Without Social Feedback

Activity FeedbackTips, Progress, Unlocks, Rewards

Activity FeedbackTips, Progress, Unlocks, Rewards

Read/Respond to MessagesRead/Respond to Messages

Browse New ContentBrowse New Content

ViewContent

ViewContent

Post MsgPost Msg

ViewProfileView

Profile

Deep Engagement: System Mastery

Activity FeedbackTips, Progress, Unlocks,

Rewards

Activity FeedbackTips, Progress, Unlocks,

Rewards

Social ActivityRespond/Post/Vote/Donate

Social ActivityRespond/Post/Vote/Donate

New Messages/ContentNew Messages/Content

Re-engagement Triggers

CTAWhat to Do Next

CTAWhat to Do Next

Personalized PagePersonalized Page

SummaryTools for Engagement Design

Player’s Journey: 5-Step Design Framework

1. Insight Who are our early-adopter Players? How do they like to interact?

2. Motivation What are their unmet needs? What activities are intrinsically rewarding?

3. Lifecycle how does the game unfold over time? How is the player changed by playing?

4. Progress how do players make progress? What markers light the way towards mastery?

5. Loops how do we engage players during Onboarding, Habit-Building & Mastery?

Product-Defining Social Actions

Content Players

Explore

Express Compete

CollaborateHelp

Comment Like

Share

GreetCollect

RateView

Review

Vote

Curate

Win Challenge

ShowoffCompare Taunt

CreateDesign

Customize Choose

Purchase

Decorate

Build

Contribute


Trigger


Habit-Building Engagement Loops



Game Terminology: Content Infrastructure

DISCOVERYDISCOVERY

LIGHT ENGAGEMENTLIGHT ENGAGEMENT

DEEPER ENGAGEMENTDEEPER ENGAGEMENT

MASTERYMASTERY

Engagement Funnel

Contact@amyjokim on Twitter

http://amyjokim.com

[email protected]

Achievements Considered Harmfulby Chris Hecker

Drive by Dan Pink

Punished by Rewards by Alfie Cohen

A Game Designer’s View of Gamification by Richard Bartle

Resources

BONUSSample of Team Exercises for Engagement Design

Content Players

DESIGN EXERCISEWhich type of Social Actions DEFINE your experience?

How does that matchup with your micro-vertical?

Explore

Express Compete

Collaborate

DESIGN EXERCISEWhat are 5 compelling ways you’re delivering Intrinsic value?

Autonomy& Choice

Purpose& Belonging

Mastery& Learning

Newbie

Regular

Enthusiast

Onboarding

Habit-Building

Mastery

DESIGN EXERCISECreate 3 quests or tasks to give players at each stage


Trigger




DESIGN EXERCISECreate an Habit Loop for your project that people would use daily

players journey: 5-step design framework for longterm engagement

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