Design Sprint + Gamification: The Mezcal Digital Approach
MezcalDigital offers to facilitate Design Sprints that use Gamification as part of its process.
In this post, I will first define how we are integrating Design Sprints and Gamification. To provide context, and to make sure we are talking about the same things, I will then also describe what I mean by Design Sprints and Gamification.
DS+G: The MezcalDigital Approach
When we combine Design Sprint and Gamification, what we do is we incentivize team members using the Design Sprint while interacting in different dynamics.
For example, we encourage team members to find the most strange example, but usable and functional, for the lighting demo. For their efforts, they receive a small token: a sticker. We know not all users engage in a game to receive rewards. So we use different strategies to engage all type of participants.
Among the different strategies we use, at the beginning of the session, we have different stickers that participants can win during the different dynamics. Users who collect the most stickers will get a bar of chocolate or something along those lines at the end of the sprint.
This way, participants in the sprint will be encouraged to take part not only because they are finding a solution to a problem, but because they will have fun during the process on top of the own design sprint.
If you are interested in further details, do get in touch at hello@mezcaldigital.com
A Short Review of Design Sprint
Google’s Design Sprint is to find a solution to a complex problem. It works when all the members of the organization affected by the problem are represented during the sprint, ensuring there is a cross-functional team, and, also very important, it is supported by the organization and deciders can be present during the sprint.
Summarising: in the Design Sprint all stakeholders gather together, without distracting electronics, to understand the problem at hand and then propose a solution; spirited discussions are replaced by voting schemes; there are plenty of sketching and ideas sharing (via sketching and voting); at the end of the sprint, a solution is prototyped (most likely Wizzard of Oz style, unless you have Neo on the team) and tested on real users.
For a more detailed description check here. Or for more ideas as to when to use Design Sprints check here. You can also check the Design Sprint 2.0 developed by AJ Smart, which is the one we use as a basis.
The Design Sprint is composed of:
- A Map to identify the elements involved in the solution of the problem. — This one can be complemented by a Lighting Decision Jam to focus on the problem most relevant to the team.
- “How might we” HMW and asking experts to make sure we understand the problem and possible solutions that have already been tried. Or just further insight by the experts which might not be known to all participants.
- Based on this, you will focus on the specific part of the problem that the team wants to address.
- You use lighting demos to gather inspiration from solutions in other domains.
- Sketch solutions to the problem
- Identify a solution to the problem
- Prototype the solution
- Test the proposed solution.
At the end of these 8 steps, you will have a way forward with a solution in a very short time.
A Short Review of Gamification
Gamification is bringing elements of games to non-ludic activities. If you look online, there are many theories and approaches to pursue this. I base my approach on the work that did as an academic when I pursued research on games and user experience.
A game has the following characteristics, following Juul’s game definition:
“A game is a rule-based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable.”
Based on that definition, by gamifying an activity I mean adding at least one of the following elements:
- A clear goal.
- Rules to achieve the goal and with valid actions
- Rewards for accomplished actions.
Users have different reasons to engage with gamified applications. So a successful gamified application uses a diverse set of strategies.
If you are interested in further details, do get in touch at hello@mezcaldigital.com
