1 research outputs found
Explore the relations between personality and gamification
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Successful gamification motivates users to engage in systems using game-like
experiences. However, a one-size-fits-all approach to gamification is often unsuccessful;
prior studies suggest that personality serves as a key differentiator in the effectiveness of
the approach. To advance the understanding of personality differences and their influence
on users’ behavior and motivation in gamification, this dissertation is comprised of three
studies that: 1) explore the relationships among individuals’ personality traits and
preferences for different gamification features through an online survey; 2) investigate
how people with different personality traits respond to the motivational affordances in a
gamified application over a period of time through a diary study; and 3) reveal how
individuals respond differentially to different kinds of leaderboard experiences based on
their leaderboard rankings, the application domain, and the individuals’ personality traits
through their responses to 9 dynamic leaderboards.
The results from the first study show that extraversion and emotional stability are
the two primary personality traits that differentiate users’ preferences for gamification.
Among the 10 types of motivational affordances, extraverts are more likely to be
motivated by Points, Levels, and Leaderboards. However, the results from the second
(diary) study indicate that, after the first week, extraverts’ preferences for Points
decreased. The motivation effects of Points and Leaderboards changed over the course of
using the gamified application. The results from the third study confirm the findings from
the first two studies about extraversion and revealed that ranking and domain differences are also effective factors in users’ experiences of Leaderboards in gamification. Design
guidelines for gamification are presented based on the results of each of the three studies.
Based on a synthesis of the results from these three studies, this dissertation
proposes a conceptual model for gamification design. The model describes not only the
impact of personality traits, domain differences, and users’ experience over time, but also
illustrates the importance of considering individual differences, application context, and
the potential significance of user persistence in gamification design.
This research contributes to the HCI and gamification communities by uncovering
factors that will affect the way that people respond to gamification systems, considered
holistically