Long after the thrill: Sustaining Passionate Application Users

How do we get people to stay in love with our applications? By providing a service that is trustworthy and of value. Human beings have an inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore, and to learn. All of these ideas add a layer of fun to the core activity.

LONG AFTER THE THRILL

(Sustaining Passionate Users)

STEPHEN P ANDERSON

#sixd

@stephenanderson

Are you in a long-term

relationship?

(and would you like to stay in that relationship?)

Some context…

How do we get people to fall in love

with our applications?

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

By making applications

assignments

“Motivating consumer behavior through game mechanics”

assignments

“Motivating consumer behavior through game mechanics” human psychology

reputation & identity

Sustaining passionate users

Through delightful challenges.

Sustaining passionate users

Through delightful challenges.

Human beings have an inherent tendency

to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to

explore, and to learn.

Edward Deci, psychologist

OMG - He’s so

her mind!

<sigh> I’m in

Love!

Let’s go back to the classroom

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll have to work and apply yourself to get something

out of this class

Attitude One:

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll

have to work and

apply yourself to

get something

out of this class

This stuff isn’t all that interesting

But, I’ve added some activities to the content that will make this a lot more fun for everyone

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll

have to work and

apply yourself to

get something

out of this class

This stuff isn’t all that interesting

But, I’ve added some activities to the content that will make this a lot more fun for everyone

“Apply Y

ourself”

“Sugar Coating”

GAMIFICATION?

A thing

At itʼs core the idea is something like this…

WHY ARE WE ADDING GAME MECHANICS TO

THE REAL THING?

Add game mechanics

The thing now has

a new layer of fun

it didnʼt before.

People are more likely to engage with that thing

This explanation is from Matthewʼs Guyʼs presentation FreeForm: Reality Invaders

Check it out: http://www.slideshare.net/sergethew/freeform-reality-invaders-5375224

A thing Add game

mechanics

The thing now has

a new layer of fun

it didnʼt before.

People are more likely to engage with that thing

At itʼs core the idea is something like this…

WHY ARE WE ADDING GAME MECHANICS TO

THE REAL THING?

This explanation is from Matthewʼs Guyʼs presentation FreeForm: Reality Invaders

Check it out: http://www.slideshare.net/sergethew/freeform-reality-invaders-5375224

How do we actually make something a game?

Drive by Dan Pink

Let me offer an exercise:

Customer Relationship Management

Investment Tools

Time Tracking

Corporate Email

Banking & Accounting Tools

Project Management Software

Sales Tracking

Knowledge Sharing

Marketing Management

Scheduling Apps

Online Training / E-Learning

Hiring & Recruiting Tools Performance Reviews

File Management Health Records

Invoices

Customer Relationship Management

Investment Tools

Time Tracking

Corporate Email

Banking & Accounting Tools

Project Management Software

Sales Tracking

Knowledge Sharing

Marketing Management

Scheduling Apps

Online Training / E-Learning

Hiring & Recruiting Tools Performance Reviews

File Management

Health Records

Invoices

Time Tracking

Think of a game.

List the things that make

this game work

Appointment Mechanic Self-Expression

Social Gifting

Limited Time

Group Competition Teamwork

Self-Expression

Pattern Recognition

A time tracking app

{whatever you wrote down}

with these characteristics:

What would

look like?

A time tracking app

-Turn based game -Goal: reach ‘x’ points 1st

-trade resources -cooperate + compete -chance + strategy

with these characteristics:

What would

look like?

Any interesting ideas?

This is a good exercise to:

1 See a design from different perspectives

2 Move beyond “points & badges gamification”

This is a good exercise to:

1 See a design from different perspectives

2 Move beyond “points & badges gamification”

BUT

+ time tracking =

adding your time at set intervals (several times a day) keeps your garden alive

+ time tracking =

Fastest time to register: 16 seconds

Can you beat that?

Username:

Email Adress:

Password:

Repeat Password:

All of these ideas add a layer of fun to the core activity.

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll

have to work and

apply yourself to

get something

out of this class

This stuff isn’t all that interesting

But, I’ve added some activities to the content that will make this a lot more fun for everyone

“Apply Y

ourself”

“Sugar Coating”

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll

have to work and

apply yourself to

get something

out of this class

This stuff is really quite interesting!

I’m going to show you why this is

important But first, I’ve got a challenge for you…

“Apply Y

ourself”

“Sugar Coating”

Elementary kids skipped recess

to watch an educational video?!

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll

have to work and

apply yourself to

get something

out of this class

This stuff is really quite interesting!

I’m going to show you why this is

important But first, I’ve got a challenge for you…

“Apply Y

ourself”

“Sugar Coating”

This stuff is

boring

I’ll make the best

of it But, you’ll

have to work and

apply yourself to

get something

out of this class

This stuff is really quite interesting!

I’m going to show you why this is

important But first, I’ve got a challenge for you…

PERFORMANCE

GOALS

LEARNING CHALLENGES

VS

PERFORMANCE

GOALS

LEARNING CHALLENGES

Getting an A in French Learning to speak French

leads to mastery

VS

How do you identify the core challenge?

WHY ARE YOU HERE,

AT SXSW?

WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

Whatʼs a core challenge for our time tracking app…?

Whatʼs a core challenge for our time tracking app…?

relative to others

relative to our personal best

“ for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day… After a few days you’ll

have a chain Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day

You’ll like seeing that chain,

especially when you get a few weeks under your belt Your only job next is

to not break the chain.”

A time tracking application that uses status?

Why do I even want to

track my time?

WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

WHY?

WHY?

TO KNOW HOW LONG I’M TAKING

TO LEARN WHERE I’M UNDERESTIMATING

WHY?

TO KNOW HOW LONG I’M TAKING

TO LEARN WHERE I’M UNDERESTIMATING

TO GET BETTER AT ESTIMATING MY TIME

TO KNOW HOW LONG I’M TAKING

TO HAVE A MORE BALANCED LIFE.

TO LEARN WHERE I’M UNDERESTIMATING

TO GET BETTER AT ESTIMATING MY TIME

TO KNOW HOW LONG I’M TAKING

TO HAVE A MORE BALANCED LIFE.

TO LEARN WHERE I’M UNDERESTIMATING

TO GET BETTER AT ESTIMATING MY TIME

CLIENT 1 CLIENT 1

MEETING CLIENT 2

EMAIL

WRITING RESEARCH

MEETING CLIENT 2

CLIENT 1 CLIENT 1

MEETING CLIENT 2

EMAIL

WRITING RESEARCH

MEETING CLIENT 2

LEVELSSCOREBOARDSBADGES

Challenges Play &

Goals &

Rewards

Conflicts & ChoicesFeedback Loops

Conflicts & Choices

Challenges Play &

Goals &

Rewards

Feedback Loops

In case it isn't obvious, the reason we throttle shots is to encourage players to post with care - we hope scarcity induces quality (So far, so good.)

Conflicts & Choices

Challenges Play &

Goals &

Rewards

Feedback Loops

Conflicts & Choices

Challenges Play &

Goals &

Rewards

Feedback Loops

The one secret to changing human behavior?

Feedback loops.

Aza Raskin

(and retweets)

Attaching a measure to anything

turns it into a game.

monitoring the bloom was the gentle nudge

[Andrew Chen] needed to stay on track.

“It’s a nice reminder to be more active without being too numeric or cold ”

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/fitbits-motivator-a-virtual-flower/

The little flower growing represents

anticipation and hope that something good will happen, which is the flower growing When you push that button and see the

change, it's instant feedback, a reward.

Even though the device seems simple, it's tapping into a complex psychology that

changes people's behavior It hits the right button.

These kinds of feedback systems tap into

basic human nature Most humans are

naturally wired to nurture things and be

rewarded for doing so

http://www.core77.com/blog/news/captology_how_the_fitbit_pedometer_really_motivates_its_users_15582.asp

All the endless questions a person answers also produces "personality" reports on the type of person you are So, even if you're

not seeing anyone on the site you want to date, you keep coming back for more

because you get to learn more about

yourself and your tastes Pretty ingenious

if you ask me, and I've been through the

gamut of almost every online dating site out there.

-commenting on OK Cupid

Conflicts & Choices

Challenges Play &

Goals &

Rewards

Feedback Loops

Education Investing Office Politics

Play &

Challenges

Learn to speak French;

flirt with the french girl

Make lots of money Become the CEO

Conflicts &

Choices

Memorizing vocabulary words; choosing how much time to spend studying

pressure of time; how much to invest; which stocks to buy

competition from other co-workers; office politics, choosing who to align

yourself with; taking a stand vs going under the radar

Feedback

Loops

Successfully ordering a menu item (en

Francais)

stock goes up or down promotions; quarterly

performance reviews;

successful product launches

Goals &

Rewards

Get an A, pass the quiz cashing out with a

sizeable sum of money;

30% annual growth

A new title; more employees under your direction

Conflicts & Choices

Challenges Play &

Goals &

Rewards

Feedback Loops

Conflicts & Choices

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

VS

Rewards motivate people

(for more rewards)

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

By making applications

(MOST) GAMES

EVENTUALLY END

Sustaining passionate users

takes more than delightful

experiences

Raph Koster,

Game Designer

“Delight, unfortunately, doesn’t last”

#?!!

What are some Web apps/services youʼve used for more than three years?

Why? What motivates you to stick with these

services?

http://www.quora.com/What-motivates-people-to-stick-with-one-web-app-service-for-a-long-time

What are some Web apps/services youʼve used for more than three years?

Why? What motivates you to stick with these

services?

http://www.quora.com/What-motivates-people-to-stick-with-one-web-app-service-for-a-long-time

What are some Web apps/services youʼve used for

more than three years?

Why? What motivates you to stick with these

services?

It works and they continually update/improve the application.

it does a decent job

does one particular thing well

very reliable and affordable reliability and ease of use

utility of the application

my friends use it there isn't another option

Management, customization, and layout options

http://www.quora.com/What-motivates-people-to-stick-with-one-web-app-service-for-a-long-time

It's not complicated.

What are some Web apps/services youʼve used for

more than three years?

Why? What motivates you to stick with these

services?

It works and they continually update/improve the application.

it does a decent job

does one particular thing well

very reliable and affordable reliability and ease of use

utility of the application

my friends use it there isn't another option

Management, customization, and layout options

http://www.quora.com/What-motivates-people-to-stick-with-one-web-app-service-for-a-long-time

It's not complicated.“Where is the love?”

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

By providing a service that is trustworthy

and of value.

Share examples of services youʼve used for more than

6 months that continue to delight - not just satisfy -

you (and how they do it).

Share examples of services youʼve used for more than

6 months that continue to delight - not just satisfy -

you (and how they do it).

<crickets>

Kano Model

NEUTRAL VALUE

HIGH SATISFACTION

LOW SATISFACTION

?

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

Social Proof.

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

Social Proof.

my friends use it

How do we get people to stay in love

with our applications?

Stories.

Congratulations ! You just earned the

“I sat through Stephen P Ande rson’s

talk” BADGE!

Congratulations !

You just earned the

“I sat through Stephen P Ande rson’s

talk” BADGE!

www.getmentalnotes.com

Thanks!! Stephen P Anderson

www.slideshare.net/stephenpa

www.poetpainter.com www.getmentalnotes.com

@stephenanderson