Behaviorism in Gamification

Behaviorism focuses on understanding and influencing behavior through external stimuli. A stimulus is anything outside of you that can cause a reaction, like a sound or a visual. Behaviorism looks at how these stimuli can be associated with certain behaviors.

It is of two types:

• The first form of behaviorism is classical conditioning, made famous by Ivan Pavlov. In his experiment, Pavlov got dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by repeatedly pairing the bell with food. The dogs learned to associate the bell with food, so they would salivate even when only the bell was present. This is classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (the bell) becomes associated with a natural response (salivation).
• Operant conditioning, developed by B.F. Skinner, is more relevant to gamification. In operant conditioning, behaviors are influenced by their consequences. A behavior is followed by a positive or negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement means getting a reward, like money or food, which encourages the behavior. Negative reinforcement can be a punishment or the removal of a benefit, which discourages the behavior.^[1]

Gamification uses these principles to encourage specific behaviors. The key idea is that the consequences of user actions influence their future behavior.

Understanding the factors that influence behavior change can improve the success of any platform. Key factors include:

• Desire to change: First, users must want to change. Without this desire, change is unlikely.
• Tools and resources: The right tools, resources, and knowledge are essential for making the change.
• Barriers: Identify what's stopping users from changing. Competing priorities and other barriers can hinder progress.
• Relapse triggers: Consider what might cause users to revert to old habits. Recognizing triggers helps prevent relapse.

By addressing these factors, behavior change programs, including gamified ones, are more likely to succeed.^[2]

The transtheoretical model from the 1970s is one of the best-known approaches to long-term behavior change. Created by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente as a model to encourage smoking cessation, it’s been shown effective in the general understanding of behavior change.^[3] It explains that behavior change spans 6 stages:

1. Precontemplation: At this stage, users might not realize they need a change. As a designer, your role here is to make them aware of the issue.
2. Contemplation: Users begin thinking about making a change. At this stage, you can help users weigh the pros and cons to decide if it's worth it.
3. Preparation: Users decide to change and start planning. Help them set clear goals and gather the resources needed.
4. Action: Users take the first steps toward their goal and begin to implement the plan actively.
5. Maintenance: Users keep up the new behavior and avoid falling back into old habits. At this stage, you motivate them to stay committed and consistent.
6. Relapse: Sometimes, users might slip back into old habits. Good UX helps users identify what triggered it and get back on track.

As a designer gamifying experiences, you need to be aware of the limitations of behaviorism. Here are some key points to consider:

• Loss aversion: People care more about avoiding losses than gaining rewards. For example, users may be more motivated to keep their current points than to earn new ones.
• Power of defaults: People are more likely to stick with default options because they require less effort. For example, if a game automatically assigns daily tasks, users are more likely to complete them than if they had to choose tasks themselves.
• Confirmation bias: People tend to see what they expect to see, reinforcing their existing beliefs. For example, if users believe they are bad at a game, they may interpret their performance as worse than it actually is.

Leveraging how the brain responds to rewards and feedback to achieve desired results can be problematic as it leaves a lot of room for user manipulation. Think about slot machines — they are designed to be addictive, causing people to gamble excessively. While benefiting casinos, it leads to addiction and financial issues, diminishing user trust and loyalty.

Similarly, if you use gamified systems to make users addicted, you risk harming them. Instead, aim to create engaging but healthy experiences. Prioritize user well-being and steer away from manipulation that leads to addictive behaviors.

The hedonic treadmill is an idea that people quickly return to a stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative changes in their lives. For example, if you win the lottery, you might feel very happy at first. However, over time, you get used to the new wealth, and your happiness returns to its previous level. The same happens with negative events. After a while, people adapt and their happiness bounces back.

In gamification, this means that users might initially be excited by rewards and achievements, but over time, they get used to them, and their excitement levels off. To keep users engaged, focus on creating meaningful and varied experiences, such as challenges, interactive storylines, social interactions, and personalized feedback. These varied experiences help maintain long-term user interest and satisfaction.

Focusing too much on status in gamification can have negative effects. When gamification emphasizes status, it often relies on non-tangible rewards like badges and leaderboards. These rewards are based on social approval and recognition, which can be powerful motivators. However, not everyone is constantly seeking status. People have many different reasons for doing things, such as tangible rewards, helping others, and enjoying activities with friends. For example, someone might participate in a gamified system to learn new skills, feel a sense of accomplishment, or contribute to a team effort. If the system only rewards status, these other motivations may be ignored, leading to disengagement.

To create a more balanced and effective gamified experience, consider various motivations, offer different types of rewards, and recognize different types of achievements. By doing so, you can appeal to a wider audience and provide a more inclusive and satisfying experience.

Reinforcement through consequences is key in gamification. It means that user actions are shaped by the results they receive. For example, many apps and games use streaks to keep users engaged. If users log into the app and perform a task daily, they maintain a streak, but if they miss a day, they lose it and may even have to pay in order to revive it. This loss of a streak motivates users to check in regularly to avoid losing their progress and rewards. This concept creates a habit where users return at specific times to maintain their streaks.

By learning to associate consistent actions with specific rewards and inconsistent actions with the loss of those rewards, users are conditioned to keep engaging with the app or game. This keeps them interested and coming back for more, making it a powerful tool in gamification.

Positive feedback loops reinforce a behavior, making it more likely to continue. When an action leads to a reward, that reward encourages the action to be repeated. Over time, this creates a cycle where the behavior strengthens. For example, in the Google Local Guides program, every time you write a review or upload a photo, you earn points. These points help you reach higher levels in the program and unlock benefits like early access to Google features and special rewards from partners. The excitement of earning points and receiving exclusive rewards motivates you to contribute more. The more reviews you write, the more points you earn, and the more benefits you unlock. This positive feedback loop keeps you engaged and active in the program.

Positive feedback loops are effective because they create a continuous cycle of motivation and rewards, helping users stay committed and enjoy the process.

A feedback loop is a system where data from user actions is collected, analyzed, and used to provide actionable insights to improve future behavior. To build a feedback loop for your gamified interface, follow these steps:

1. Measure: Collect data on user actions. For example, track how often users complete tasks or achieve milestones in your app. Accurate measurements provide a clear picture of user behavior.
2. Compare: Analyze the data by comparing it to user goals. For instance, if your app helps users learn a new language, compare their progress (like lessons completed) to their learning goals. This comparison helps identify gaps and areas for improvement.
3. Adjust: Help users make changes based on the analysis. Provide timely and relevant feedback to users. For example, if someone is falling behind, send them a motivational message or offer a small reward for completing the next lesson. The quicker you adjust, the more effective the feedback loop will be.

By following these steps, you create a continuous feedback loop that encourages positive behavior changes and keeps users engaged with your interface.

A feedback loop can fail for several reasons:

• No automatic measurement: If the system doesn't automatically track user behavior, it can't provide timely feedback. For example, if an app doesn’t automatically log exercise, users won’t know if they are meeting their goals.
• Irrelevant comparisons: If the feedback doesn’t relate directly to users’ actions and goals, it won’t be effective. For example, showing a user their average weekly screen time may not be helpful if their goal is to reduce their daily screen time.
• Slow feedback: If the system takes too long to respond, users won’t connect their actions with the results. For example, if reminders to take medication come hours late, users might miss their doses.

Behaviorism focuses on observing external actions, not just internal thoughts. To understand user behavior, start by looking at what they actually do. This is important because people often act differently than we expect. For example, in a gamified fitness app, you might think users will exercise more if you offer big rewards for reaching major goals. But by conducting research, like tracking workout habits and user engagement, you might find that users are more motivated by earning small, frequent rewards for daily activities.

By studying real actions through user research, you can uncover surprising patterns and correct your assumptions about behavior. This helps design better gamified experiences by addressing how people truly behave and not just how you think they should.