Through the eyes of a gamer

Collaborne’s innovation process is something to be played

“For the holy light!” yelled my paladin, as he rushed into a battle.

No big deal, I thought. Just a few low-level mobs. I was hoping to get a Legendary item out of them, although the probability of that was low. At the end of the battle I had to settle for nothing but bunch of gold and a decent elvish dagger. Oh well—it was on to the next slaughter.

Games, to me, used to be fun. This is still true — I’m an avid gamer who has wracked up hour upon hour of playtime.

But now, games are also my job.

At Collaborne, we have created an app that facilitates the innovation process for businesses. Naturally, the app features a Dashboard, which provides teams with insights into their performance and recommendations as to what they should be doing. There is also a Timeline composed of “missions”—tasks or activities that result in producing the outcomes necessary to completing the innovation process. Some of these outcomes end up populating a team’s Venture Canvas.

But as a front-end developer who works to gamify the Collaborne application, this is not only what I see.

Where others see just the Dashboard, I also see a quest-giver. The Timeline is a map that guides me on my epic journey to slay a dragon.

Missions are the quests that I have to fulfill, while outcomes are the artifacts and treasures that I find on my heroic adventure. The Venture Canvas, then, is a collection of my most valuable artifacts.

But why is this fantastical metaphor helpful for app development? Well, let us consider what games are—or at least what they are supposed to be.

Games—or at least good games—are fun. And so is good work. Check out this quote.

“Games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow.” —Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, Inc.

To foster this mindset, however, games motivate players using the element of fun. This is exactly what we need, so that we can spur users to continue navigating the innovation process. Their work needs to be fun.

And while the innovation process doesn’t necessarily open itself to games in the literal sense, there are are a variety of ways we use game-like features to make innovating fun.

For one, I leverage a psychological-based approach, in which I attempt to place the user into a “state of flow”—that is, equilibrium between challenge and empowerment. When someone completes a mission, for instance, I want them to feel proud, excited, satisfied. Just as I would, should I finish a quest in World of Warcraft and be rewarded with a Legendary item.

Collaborne also incorporates the social motivation for which video games—and especially online multiplayer games—provide fuel. The innovation process is a team experience—much like clans that might form in an MMORPG—with individuals utilizing differing strengths to contribute to the group’s overall success, in which each person finds a gleaming sense of accomplishment. That is a great feeling!

Additionally, I look to current technology. For instance, a mission I helped design, “Mining For Gold,” is inspired by Tinder—an app that transforms the act of hooking up or dating into what is essentially a “game.”

From a distance, the innovation process might not seem fun. In fact, it might seem complex and difficult—even boring. It certainly does not seem like a suitable platform for games.

But I believe that a difficult task can also be a fun one. And I believe games can take shape anywhere, so long as you maintain the right perception—and have a bit of courage! This is why I do my best to create a fun, engaging environment for our application—to show that the innovation process is a must-play.

Happy gaming (and innovating)!

Contributing editor: Adam Kohut