Slides from UAEurope 11 conference: You win! Applying Gamification to User Assistance. For more information on applying gamification to technical communication and other documentation strategies, feel free to contact me.

1. You Win!
Applying Game
Theory to User
Assistance
Ellis Pratt
Cherryleaf

2. Who I am
What is gamification?
Why include it?
Examples of games in User Assistance
Limitations
Summary

3. About Me

4. Director of Cherryleaf
Technical Writing Services Company
We offer:
Projects
Training
Recruitment

5. What is gamification?

6. What is gamification?
Use of game
mechanics & rewards
in non-games

7. Games are not
always obvious
Frequent flyer points
Badges and stickers
Google AdWords
Groupon.com

9. Features of a game
A goal
Rules
A feedback system &
Voluntary participation.

10. Features of a game
Desired behaviour
Leaderboard
Challenges
Participation &
Fun.

11. Why include it?

12. Games are massively
popular
wiki?
A. Wikipedia
popular wiki?
A.

13. Games engage users
Affective learning
Attention economics

14. Examples

15. Goals & Challenges
Atlassian Dragon Quest
Microsoft Ribbon Hero 2

17. Is it a game?
A goal ✔
Rules ?
A feedback system ✘
Voluntary participation ✔
Desired behaviour ✔
Leaderboard ✘
Challenges ✔
Participation ✔
Fun ?

18. Atlassian Dragon
Quest
616
T-shirts served
1 per working day

19. Atlassian Dragon
Quest
4
Twitter unique users/day

20. Ribbon Hero 2

21. Is it a game?
A goal ✔
Rules ✔
A feedback system ✔
Voluntary participation ✔
Desired behaviour ✔
Leaderboard ✔
Challenges ✔
Participation ✔
Fun ✔

22. Points, badges and
leaderboards
Adobe
MadCap Software

25. Is it a game?
A goal ✘
Rules ✘
A feedback system ✔
Voluntary participation ✔
Desired behaviour ✔
Leaderboard ✔
Challenges ✘
Participation ✔
Fun ✘

26. Taking a unified
approach
Dropbox

28. Is it a game?
A goal ✔
Rules ✔
A feedback system ✔
Voluntary participation ✔
Desired behaviour ✔
Leaderboard ✘
Challenges ✔
Participation ?
Fun ?

29. Limitations

30. Limitations
Time & skills needed to create a
game
People will game the system
You can do evil

31. covered
Extrinsic v Intrinsic motivators
Types of players
User Interface issues
Integrating with Support and Training

32. Summary

33. Summary
Games come in many
different and unusual forms
Games theories are starting
to be applied to User
Assistance
Make the UA element part of
a bigger game

34. More information

35. More information
Cherryleaf Newsletter
Cherryleaf blog
Our ebook

36. info@cherryleaf.com
www.cherryleaf.com