AVOID THESE GAMIFICATION PITFALLS

This is the second in a series of articles about gamification written by Karl Kapp exclusively for Learnnovators. The first post in the series, GAMIFICATION FOR CORPORATE LEARNING, provided a definition of gamification, and further explained its two types. This post discusses the common pitfalls of gamification and how an organization can avoid them. The series then proceeds to cover the elements of gamification that can make learning effective, and then the engagement aspects of gamification. The series closes by discussing the big miss and the big opportunity in gamification.

While gamification can be a powerful tool to drive learner engagement and to increase learner motivation, retention and application, problems can and do arise. When implementing gamification, organizations need to be careful to avoid these five gamification pitfalls.

1. TRYING TO GAMIFY EVERYTHING – The reasoning seems to be that if a little bit of gamification is a good thing, then a ton of gamification would be a better thing. Unfortunately, this is not a good strategy. Organizations need to carefully determine which content should be gamified and which content can be delivered via other methodology. Typically, the best approach is to use gamification for parts of the training delivery, and combine it with e-learning, webinars and even classroom instruction. Consideration needs to be given to the type of content to be presented and the other instructional delivery methods being used within the organization.

2. FOCUSING ONLY ON “FUN” – An allure of gamification seems to be the promise of having “fun” while learning but the real benefit of gamification is the level of engagement that can be achieved through application of game elements. Occasionally, organizations get caught up in idea of fun and lose track of the learning. Keep in mind the only reason content or material is being gamified is to help engage and motivate the learner, it’s not because it seems cool or neat. Stay focused on learning.

3. BELIEVING EVERY EMPLOYEE WILL LOVE GAMIFICATION – There is no learning intervention universally loved. Some people don’t like lectures, some avoid discussions at all costs, and some don’t like role-plays. People are different and not everyone will enjoy gamified learning. Now that doesn’t mean they don’t have to participate, if you’ve designed a gamified learning program that you are sure will meet your learning outcomes, then feel free to make the training mandatory but don’t expect universal love for the decision. If you want, you can certainly give learners an alternative, but the trick is to hold them accountable for the learning if they choose to avoid your designed learning solution. So don’t be surprised when you get some pushback on your gamified rollout.

4. FAIILING TO MONITOR OR MEASURE OUTCOMES – Most gamification platforms have elaborate data collection capabilities. These capabilities allow for the monitoring of such things as the frequency of engagement with the platform, the number of correctly or incorrectly answered questions, the amount of time spent in the gamified platform, and other types of measures. Those measures should be frequently monitored. You need to know if the participation rate is dropping or if every learner is getting a question wrong or if learners are spending an extremely long time in the gamified platform. Additionally, make sure that the outcomes expected from the gamification effort are being achieved.

Finally, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a gamified solution is simple and easy to implement. While technology does make it easy from one perspective, the real difficulty is the instructional design behind the gamified solution. You must ensure that objectives are properly assessed, that questions are well written, and that content to be learned is presented according to sound instructional approaches. Gamification can have good results, but only when it is well designed and properly implemented from an instructional perspective.Here are links to all five posts from this series:

1. Gamification For Corporate Learning

2. Avoid These Gamification Pitfalls

3. The Learning In Gamification

4. Gamification Is About Engagement

5. The Big Miss And The Big Opportunity In Gamification

Written by Karl Kapp

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Published on 07-Sep-2016