1. Kamstar – Playgen
Gamification and community engagement
Value
“Points without a Point are Pointless”
The presentation began with debunking the myth that we are always somehow gaming, that every system is ‘gamified’ However, there is definitely some benefits to be gotten from having to delve into gamification and the reasons why, was explored.
It really is all about identifying basic human needs, and motivating people to fulfill those needs. Some of the needs include;
A number of case studies were run through, both positive and negative e.g Salesforce, Level Up Adobe, Volkswagen (Speed Camera Lottery) which was successful.
To sum the presentation up, we were introduced to a gamification toolkit, which would help one to Gamify by identifying and Designing;
Conclusion,
The heartbeat of this presentation was about providing Users with something of redeemable value. Gamification isn’t sustainable without a tangible benefit to the user. Getting points or badges are only worthwhile if they have a feedback loop into the system, e.g Being able to actually use the points to get something they really want, not more points.
To build an online community which is sustainable, Identify Human Need –> Design a Valuable Reward around it – >Create Motivators to help users get that Reward.
2. Angel Brown – Digitas
Designing for trust when it really matters
Trust
“ trust is the willingness of a party [trustor] to
be vulnerable to the actions of another party [trustee] based on the
expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party ”
Mayer, Davis and Schoorman (1995, p. 712)
The presentation provided us with some learnings from designing an online community that requires a high degree of trust, that is, the Health community. We were taken through;
Users will only be willing to trust a community if they perceive certain things, like the community’s collective Ability, Benevolence and Integrity. Users basically have to take such risks by being active in the community (sharing Information, Purchasing items, e.t.c). So Users have to trust not only the system, also, other users.
In designing such communities, ability and competence of the system can be perceived through the use of Transparency in design e.g Clear access to the name and addresses of the providers, feedback mechanisms. Protection of Data, Trust Marks, Actuality of information, Goals and Target groups. Authors and Data sources, High quality content.
Benevolence which deals mainly with other users of the site can be perceived through e.g giving users the ability to report inappropriate behaviours, clear intentions of the participants to provide helpful information.
Lastly, we were taken through a case-study on a Chinese health care site. We were shown why trust wasn’t well perceived in the community and the factors that led to it, Transparency was very low.
In conclusion, we were able to see how much Trust or perceived Trust is necessary for a lot of User engagement in a community and also how we can design to enable or increase trust.
3. Rob Falla – Your Presence Online Ltd
Growing Facebook communities
Learn
“Think about your ‘seed’ community and their needs, learn and implement FAST”
This presentation focused on building Facebook Communities. The crux of the presentation was not being afraid of setting objectives, having metrics to measure them and most of all, learning from the users. The case-study was on Brand Bang which is game on Facebook which was set up to find out if gamification can actually help market research.
The objective of the game included getting people to play, collecting data, getting feedback and evaluating the game as a market research tool. The Community Target was to have 1000 players in 3 months.
The game had incentives and rewards which got people playing and also motivated them to share the game, posting on their Facebook walls e.t.c
Some key points to remember include;
It was refreshing to see clear stats from when the game took off and where it is now, the game has met its target of 1000 players and it is in its fourth month.
4. Blaise Grimes-Vort – eModeration
UX Design and Online Communities: Leveraging design to implement community building best practices: Dos and Don’ts presentation
Best Practices
“Do not make your Users Scream”
See: Edvard Munch, The Scream
This presentation built on the previous presentations and was mainly about practical tips for designing online communities. It dealt with Gamification issues, Trust Issues and more.
The presentation covered a typical user flow from Login and Registration to Navigation of the site. Some of the best practices to be followed with case-studies include;
Login: Keep it Simple, Ask for the minimum and something the User would always remember e.g Linkedin
Registration: Explain the need for certain information; it helps to build trust which in turn drives User engagement e.g (Date of birth), Facebook
Community Activity: Advertise fresh content and User activity, People need to know that the site is actually alive e.g Open forum
Members: Display Individuality, Users should see that they would be rewarded for their efforts.
Contributions: Signpost clearly, let Users know exactly what to do and where, to eliminate frustration and drop out.
Navigation: Be clear and consistent, also make search accessible. This cannot be overstressed.
Q & A
Q: What are the Negatives of Gamification?
A: Lack of Quality control e.g Tumblr came crashing down when the floodgates where open to everyone. Gamification should not trivialize your brand, think about what happens when that mechanism is taken away.
Q: How do you start these communities?
A: 1. Promote it 2. Install a Manager 3. Seed, Fund it.
Q: Problems encountered?
A: Bad use of User Paths
Q: Are we over-designing?
A: We are actually getting better at designing. For example; we now have bigger buttons and clear call to action on websites. We learn from our mistakes, it should only produce better products.
Q: When does the water run dry?
A: People will get bored, what actually keeps them going is the goal they are trying to achieve using your system. Think about if your system weren’t in place, would they still go to achieve that? Let your points, have a point.
Q: Open ID for registration and Login?
IT really should be a better way of getting across the Internet, instead of having to remember numerous log in IDs and password. But it isn’t the reality.
May be it could get better, we’ll see.
Our first event of 2012 will be held on Thursday 19 January at Sapient Nitro’s offices.
Tickets are now available from Eventbrite for UK UPA’s January 2012 Event.
UX Design and Online Communities
About the event
Online communities are the foundation of the social web. UX practioners frequently encounter challenges when designing appropriate online community platforms that will encourage interaction and engagement. Do the fans/likes and comments on a Facebook page constitute a community? Are rewards and points in a gamified community the tools to keep users returning?
The UK UPA January event will bring together a panel of industry leaders who will share their perspectives and experiences on how design can foster (or inhibit) online community interaction.
We will consider how user experience in online communities has evolved in tandem with technological tools and the growing platforms for communication. We will discuss the challenges of fostering community and if the very definition of online community has changed and evolved as a result of new technology.
Speakers will be followed by a panel Q&A session. Please email your questions to UKliaison@ukupa.org.uk or tweet to the @UKUPA.
Logistics of the event
Date – Thursday, 19 January 2012
Time – 6:30pm for 7pm start
Location – SapientNitro, 8 Spital Square, London, E1 6DU
There is no charge for UPA members.
For non-members the cost is £10 payable on the door.
For student non-members £5 is payable on the door.
Format of the evening
6:30 – 7:00 :: Meet and Greet
7:00 – 8:00 :: Talks by 4 speakers (details below)
8.00 – 8.30 :: Q & A (moderated by Andrea Lewis)
8.30 – 9.30 :: Networking
About the speakers
Kam Star, Chief Play Officer at PlayGen: Gamification and community engagement
Games are amazing – they engage their users like nothing else and in return people lavish them with their time, money and attention. At its core gamification is all about understanding the psychology that drives participation in games.Kam will be discussing how gamification elements can be crucial tools in online community engagement, highlighting best methods of incorporating them into product design.
Kam is a digital media entrepreneur, inventor and an award winning games developer. Founder of PlayGen, Kam designs and develops playful solutions and platforms for delivering engaging experiences across the digital landscape. He has produced gaming projects for the BBC, AVIVA, Eden Project, UNESCO, McKinsey, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, NESTA, MoD, NHS, TSB and Wellcome Trust. Kam is also the founder of Digital Shoreditch, with the aim of bringing the outstanding creative, technical and entrepreneurial talent found in East London closer together.
Angel Brown, UX Director at Digitas Health: Healthcare communities: designing to inspire trust when it really matters
In situations of life and death, knowing who you can trust is critical to believing what you read on community sites. In this talk, Angel will touch briefly on models for designing for trust in healthcare communities and will then aim to bring the concepts to life by taking the room through a case study of her recent experiences with a doctors’ social site in China.
Angel has been involved in IA and interaction design since web pages were grey. Over this rather long period of time she and has worked for a range of clients from The Body Shop to TfL’s Cycle Challenge through to a full complement of pharmaceutical companies at Digitas Health.
She has presented at UK UPA, DrupalCon and many London IA events and facilitates an ongoing working group on UX for Intranets. She tries to keep one small toe in academia, so has been a member of the London School of Economics Media Group committee since 2007 where she produces events on new challenges in digital.
Rob Falla, Social Media Solutions Architect at Your Presence Online Ltd.: Growing Facebook communities: What is the real value of a “like”?
Rob will be discussing the meaning of a Facebook “like” and Facebook Fans and how to convert passive likers into an engaged community of fans. His case study will be Bunnyfoot’s recently launched Facebook game, Brand Bang! The community has been nurtured from the start by actively engaging with the users and encouraging them to share their scores and other achievements on their walls, and post comments and feedback on the game wall. In one month, it grew from 30 players to nearly 1000 players. We believe that this community will mature even further and grow from 1000 to 10000 players in another month.
Rob is a digital solutions entrepreneur and founder of Your Presence Online, a social media agency based in Cambridge. Rob was a columnist for WebTechniques and WebReview magazines and author of several web technology books. Rob designed and implemented information portals in Pharmaceuticals and Mobile Communications industries for companies like Lion Bioscience, Xtempus, Xerox, Symbian and Nokia. Rob is passionate about improving ROI for his clients by helping to build engaged and loyal online communities.
Blaise Grimes-Viort, Head of Community & Engagement at eModeration: Leveraging design to implement community building best practices: Dos and Don’ts
To build successful online communities people want to use, it is important to apply basic best practices to the layout design and user experience. Blaise will be presenting a few of these principles and discuss examples of good and bad applications.
Blaise started his career in Community Management in 2001 and has worked with global brands, startups and charities, in fields such as Videogaming, Social Networking, Pharmaceutical, Broadcasting, Publishing and ISPs. This varied experience has provided him with a rich background in product development and customer collaboration, and the passion to help organisations build thriving online communities and social media outposts, both externally and internally. He blogs on community management at http://blaisegv.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @blaisegv.
About the moderator
Andrea Lewis, Consultant at Reading Room
Andrea is a cyberpsychologist focused on the psychological phenomena associated with emerging media. Andrea has spent the majority of her career working with digital brands in New York, and has recently joined Reading Room Studio in London as a Consultant. Prior to Reading Room, her projects in London included the redesign of a global, online market research community for Face, a co-creation planning agency, and analysing user research data for the Southbank Centre.
Andrea is a usability and UX researcher and has worked across the media industry in project management and digital product strategy roles with brands such as MTV, VH1, Reebok, Virgin Media, and Dell. She thrives on developing immersive and engaging digital products and mobile applications, and has a healthy respect for robots and video games.
If you have any questions about the event please contact Nick Antram (UKliaison@ukupa.org.uk) who is the organiser of this event or Chandra (president@ukupa.org.uk).