What journey are you taking your users on?

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A recent project I started, which involved mobile interaction within a physical space geared at youth, had left me with many questions as to how to best engage users within such a scenario. All solutions were pointing to the buzzword of 2011 – “Gamification”.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Gamification is the use of game design techniques and mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences. Typically gamification applies to non-game applications and processes (also known as “funware”), in order to encourage people to adopt them. Gamification works by making technology more engaging, by encouraging users to engage in desired behaviors, by showing a path to mastery and autonomy, and by taking advantage of humans’ psychological predisposition to engage in gaming.

Creating a linear online experience is the paradigm which is followed daily by many practitioners in the digital sphere. Creating applications for handheld devices certainly isn’t breaking news but how we make users want to engage with an app on a device that interacts with the real world is definitely still in its infancy.  At the heart of an experience that relies on game theory to engage, an underlying story has to exist. Around that narrative is what the user/participant relies on to find value; so there are two story world types for taking people on a journey:

- The Dorothy type (Wizard of Oz)
- The Alice type (Alice in Wonderland)

Dorothy was thrust into an unknown place but knew she had to do one thing: follow the yellow brick road. Alice on the other hand had to make choices. Explore. Find her own way.

While either of these story world types can be used to lead the user, the ability to steer a portion of the narrative and feel in control of the experience will win out in terms of engagement (especially with digital natives as a target audience who grew up gaming). That said, it is paramount when letting a user feel at the helm that you retain control behind the scenes. Without a core narrative to pull them back in your user’s journey can fall flat, so ensure you plan for this when incorporating diversions from each act /section of the core journey.

Aside from this fundamental aspect of the experience other things that need to be considered include:

- Know your target group and look at scenarios when testing is not possible
- Choose the right tech for your target audience (Native iOS app? Android? Web app?)
- Make sure there is a platform for discussion (Microsite? Forum? Social media driven?)
- Newest tech isn’t adapted by all – if it’s not accessible or requires a plugin you’re asking for trouble (Flash? Audio or screen reader enabled for the sensory impaired?)

And last but not least be prepared to listen to your users and iterate! Iterate! Iterate!