Der-Jeng Lin developed a gamified training toolkit called "UX in the Jungle" over 4 years through an iterative process of conception, design, production, testing, and refinement. The goal was to help participants experience the challenges of being a UX professional through gameplay. Game mechanics simulate obstacles like changing requirements and tight deadlines. Playtesting led to improvements like clarifying goals and streamlining mechanics. The toolkit was successfully used for internal and external workshops at Trend Micro and later commercialized.

1. Designing A Gamified Training Toolkit
從教具開發淺談遊戲化設計
林德政 / Der-Jeng Lin
2020/3/25
— My Journey of “UX in the Jungle” Development

2. About Me
2020/3/25 2
林德政
Der-Jeng Lin
UX Evangelist /
Agile Practitioner /
Sr. Project Manager
1997 2003
2007
1995
2020
Software
Development
Project
Management
UX Design &
Research
Product
Management

3. What is “UX in the Jungle” ?
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4. The “UX in the Jungle” Journey
Trend Micro
Internal Training
Course
Commercialized
Product
Trainer Certification
Program
One-time
Workshop Toolkit
2016
2017
2018
2020/3/25 4
2016

5. The Journey
1 24 324
Conception Design Production
2020/3/25 5

6. UXSG 2016 Conference
2020/3/25 6
Source: http://2016.uxsg.org/

7. 1 24 324
Conception Design ProductionConception Design Production
1 Week 24 324
1 Week Before the Deadline
2020/3/25 7
22nd April, 2016

8. User-Centered Design
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Ideas
0
Prototypes2
User Requirements
1
Detailed Designs
3
Realization 4

9. User-Centered Game Design
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Theme
0
Challenges2
Players’ Goal
1
Mechanics
3
Accessories 4

10. Draft Proposal Evaluation
2020/3/25 10
Theme
Challenges
Mechanics
Accessories 2
3
4
Players’ Goal
1
We need a
specific goal!
2
3
4
0

11. Refining the Proposal
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Theme
Challenges
Players’ Goal
Mechanics
Accessories
0
2
1
3
4
Help their teams earn most
revenue by delivering products
with the best UX.
As a UXer in a
software company…
Everyday obstacles
in real situations
(dynamic market,
changing requirements, difficult
stakeholders, tight schedule, etc.)

12. User-Centered Game Design
2020/3/25 12
Theme
0
Challenges2
Players’ Goal
1
Mechanics
3
Accessories 4
Help their teams earn most
revenue by delivering products
with the best UX.
As a UXer in a
software company…
Everyday obstacles
in real situations
(dynamic market,
changing requirements, difficult
stakeholders, tight schedule, etc.)

13. Game-Design Elements
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Goal MechanicsConstraints

14. “UX in the Jungle” in a Weekend
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15. The Right Minimum Viable Product
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Source: https://twitter.com/jopas/status/515301088660959233
This
Not this
Desirability
Usability
Reliability
Functionality

16. “UX in the Jungle” in a Weekend
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17. 1 24 324
Conception Design ProductionConception Design Production
1 Week 32424 Iterations
24 Iterations in 3 Months
2020/3/25 17

18. Challenges of Innovation
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Desirability
Feasibility Viability
Do your target users
want this?
Technically,
can we make it?
Is it a sustainable
business?
The target!

19. The Best-Selling Swiss Army Knife
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More features ≠
Better experience

20. Be Adaptive to Changes
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Source: http://www.expressiveproductdesign.com/minimal-viable-product-mvp/
Predictive
Adaptive
To build a “Dream Car”…

21. Plan the Schedule
2020/3/25 21
Kick-off
4/22
May AugustJune JulyApril September
Build
Measure
Learn
24 Iterations
Conference Day
9/7~ 9/9
Mass
Production

22. Survey to Measure and Learn
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Desirability
Usability
Reliability
Functionality
• Be able to experience / learn …
1. Complete product development life cycle
2. Different UX Job functions
3. Challenges in real situation
4. Importance of collaboration
• Easy to learn
• Fun & aesthetic

23. Initial Design
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24. Initial Playtest
2020/3/25 24

25. Intermediate Prototypes
2020/3/25 25

26. Build, Measure, and Learn
2020/3/25 26
Build
Measure
Learn

27. Intermediate Prototypes
2020/3/25 27

28. Playtesting
2020/3/25 28

29. Build, Measure, and Learn
2020/3/25 29
Build
Measure
Learn

30. Board Game Mechanics
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• Acting • Action / Movement
Programming
• Action Point Allowance
System
• Area Control / Area Influence
• Area Enclosure • Area Movement
• Area-Impulse • Auction/Bidding
• Betting/Wagering • Campaign / Battle Card
Driven
• Card Drafting • Chit-Pull System
• Co-operative Play • Commodity Speculation
• Crayon Rail System • Deck / Pool Building
• Dice Rolling • Grid Movement
• Hand Management • Hex-and-Counter
• Line Drawing • Memory
• Modular Board • Paper-and-Pencil
• Partnerships • Pattern Building
• Pattern Recognition • Pick-up and Deliver
• Player Elimination • Point to Point Movement
• Press Your Luck • Rock-Paper-Scissors
• Role Playing • Roll / Spin and Move
• Route/Network Building • Secret Unit Deployment
• Set Collection • Simulation
• Simultaneous Action Selection • Singing
• Stock Holding • Storytelling
• Take That • Tile Placement
• Time Track • Trading
• Trick-taking • Variable Phase Order
• Variable Player Powers • Voting
• Worker Placement
Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgamemechanic

31. More Playtesting
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32. Applying Visual Designs
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33. More Build, Measure, and Learn
2020/3/25 33
Build
Measure
Learn

34. 4 Months Later…
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35. High Fidelity Prototype
2020/3/25 35

36. Background of the Game
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The mobile games market is growing
rapidly, with revenues exceeding many
analysts' expectations. Two software
companies don't want to lose out and
decide to spin off small business units
to penetrate this rising market.
But your CEO is not patient…
As members of the UX design teams
for these two spin-offs, your goal is to
make as much money as possible by
delivering the best possible mobile
game apps for your target audience.

37. Team Objective
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The end of September
+
or
The first team
launches its 4th Game
x 4 x 4
Before…Earn the Most Revenue

38. Software Development Life Cycle
2020/3/25 38
Development
& Testing

39. Stakeholders
2020/3/25 39

40. Different UX Roles and Skills
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41. Internal Workshops
2020/3/25 41

42. Game vs. Gamification
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Gamification
The application of game-design
elements and game principles
in non-game contexts.
Game
A structured form of play.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification;
For Engagement
For Enjoyment

43. Perceptions of Gamified Training
43
Trainee’s
Motivation
Trainer’s
Motivation
Gamified
Training
Playing
Games
Training
with Games
Confusions
2020/3/25

44. Keys for Successful Gamification
44
Context
Simulation Fun
Fulfil Business Needs
Increase Usability
Create Sympathy
Create Engaging
Experience
Successful
Gamifications
Sim.
Games
Rehearsal /
Drill
Interesting
Workshop
Simulations
Training Course
Tasks at Work
Games
2020/3/25

45. Begin from the Right End
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User
Experience
Game-design
Techniques
From hereNot here
Business
Objectives

46. Typical Game-design Techniques
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Points Leaderboard
Badges

47. Octalysis Framework
2020/3/25 47
Yu-Kai Chou
周郁凱
An author and
International Keynote
Speaker on
Gamification and
Behavioral Design.

48. Phases of Players’ Journey
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Discovery Onboarding Scaffolding Endgame
Starts of
using
Fully
equipped
Everything
has been tried

49. White Hat vs Black Hat Gamifications
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White Hat
Gamifications
Obvious but don’t create
a sense of urgency
Black Hat
Gamifications
Make users feel obsessed,
anxious, and addicted

50. Left Brain vs Right Brain Gamifications
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Right Brain
Gamifications
Characterized
by creativity,
sociality, and
curiosity.
Left Brain
Gamifications
Involve
tendencies
related to logic,
ownership, and
analytical thought

51. Epic Meaning & Calling
• Definition
• The drive where people are motivated
because they believe they are engaged in
something that is bigger than themselves.
• Tips
• Useful for onboarding phase, but might be
put aside by users since it doesn’t drive any
sense of urgency.
2020/3/25 51

52. Loss & Avoidance
• Definition
• The drive that motivates through the fear
of losing something or having undesirable
events transpire.
• Tips
• Think regularly about what makes users
reluctant to let go and therefore stay in
your system for longer
2020/3/25 52

53. UX in the Jungle in Octalysis
2020/3/25 53
http://yukaichou.com/octalysis-tool/
• Save your job
• Beat competitor
Scaffolding Phase• Accumulate profits
• See the progress of
product development
• Define your own
product plan
• Build product from
scratch
• Multiple UX roles
• Different strategies to develop
products
• Collaborate with your partners
• Hold secrets (research results)
• Chances to tease your
competitors
• Market favors only
the faster team
• Market changes are unpredictable
• Stakeholders become unhappy
irregularly• Lose jobs
if miss the deadline

54. The Day Has Come…
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55. In the Workshop
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56. Feedback from Participants
2020/3/25 56

57. Internal Crowdfunding
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Objective: Get 180 Sets (NT$300,000)
pledged within 38 days

58. Internal Workshops
2020/3/25 58

59. Workshop with 160+ Players
2020/3/25 59

60. External Workshops
2020/3/25 60

61. 38 Days Later…
2020/3/25 61

62. 1 24 324
Conception Design ProductionConception Design Production
1 Week 324 Sets24 Iterations
324 Sets Pledged in 38 Days
2020/3/25 62
180% of the
planned objective!

63. Printing in Progress
2020/3/25 63

64. The Final Product
2020/3/25 64

65. The Journey Continues…
2020/3/25 65
Trainer
Certification
ProgramCommercialized
Product
Facebook
Fans Page

66. Real Life RPG
2020/3/25 66

67. Takeaways
2020/3/25 67
Begin from the Right End Build the MVP in the Right Way
Be Adaptive to ChangesContext + Simulation + Fun

68. Books Recommended
2020/3/25 68

69. Thank you for your time!
Credits
• Game Designer: DJ (Der-Jeng) Lin,
• Visual Designers: Peggy Liu, Cathy Yeh
• Editor: Richard Hsiao
• Producer: Hsin Olive Eu
• Prototype Developers: Mike Chou, Pacha Chen, Melody Chou, Pin Hsu, Aron Danburg, Lesley Chien
• Primary Testers: Hanwen Chang, Joyce Lin, Fiona Wen, Xindy Wang, Jasmine Liou, Wish Lin, Mei Hung
• Special thanks to team members from Trend Micro HIE, BA, and R&D for supporting all the tests!
林德政 / Der-Jeng Lin
2020/3/25
UX in the Jungle Workshops
2020/5/23, 5/30 14:00-18:00
@文化大學教育推廣部建國本部