How to integrate gamification into professional training?

Determine the program's goals and the business difficulties it addresses.

Incorporating gamification into a professional and/or learning setting necessitates visibility and comprehension of the goals that the gamified system must achieve. In a training situation, play for the sake of play has minimal value and may even be harmful. The first step in integrating gamification into a professional training setting is to articulate why you want to do it. The definition of clear gamified training goals must be based on a set of criteria. These objectives must be explicit, quantifiable, and achievable. They must be specific about who the training is for, what must be taught, and how the training will be delivered. Measurable implies that the ramifications and implications of gamified training in respect to the stated goal must be determinable. Finally, realistic implies that the set of objectives must be attainable for the learners and based on the current reality of the organization

Learners' profiles should be known.

Knowing the players, and hence the learners is necessary for gamification training . What are their names? What is it that drives them? Creating personas for learners in a firm helps them to have a better understanding of their role and task, as well as put themselves in their shoes to see what motivates them to participate in gamified training.

Continuing on, a person's age and occupational profile might have a significant impact on their perception of gamification.

Younger profiles in support industries, such as marketing, are more likely to be receptive to gamification than engineers. Similarly, a population born after 2000 would most likely have a far higher sensitivity to gambling, but this does not imply that prior generations will be cut out.

As previously said, the game continues to be a worldwide language. One of the elements to consider while determining a learner's profile is their professional and educational background, which allows communities of gamers to be identified based on their occupation. Another key factor to consider is the participants' psychological profiles, such as whether they are more competitive or collaborative. Finally, gender and nationality may be used to segment players, however, more and more teams are choosing to target audiences regardless of their origins or gender.

Define the intended learning path.

This stage entails creating a training plan and determining the path of the gamified learning experience. It's not about scattering graded quizzes here and there; it's about finding out how the game mechanics interact to produce a unified, engaging experience that satisfies the pre-determined objectives. Gamification, for example, may provide a narrative that helps learners to get involved in a mission or a learning journey.

Determining the route also necessitates a decision about the game mechanics: will the learners be required to compete or collaborate? Finally, the incentives and degree of gamification of the training must be determined. This section of the learning route description also includes specifying how learners will have to complete missions inside the learning framework.

Whether it's a quiz, a challenge, a puzzle to complete, or a narrative game that follows a course in the form of a tale, the gamified training's future success is determined by the choices made based on the learner profiles. In any case, creating immersive game worlds isn't required for a good in-training gamification experience.

It may also mean making routine training courses on safety, regulation, or any other topic enjoyable, which, in the long run, and due to their repetitive nature, demobilize trainees when delivered in a "traditional" manner.

Decide on a reward scheme.

Because it is the foundation of the game and, above all, the necessary contribution to build commitment, gamification of training needs a system of incentives. As stated at the outset of this post, the most often used gamification incentive systems are points, badges, and rank systems, which may be employed in the midst of training without issue.

The game dynamics for the learner will alter depending on the sort of reward selected. Depending on whether you want to establish a competitive dynamic between teams, a personal challenge, or anything else, you must pick intelligently.

A point system provides a sense of pleasure, a level system establishes a sense of prestige, badges build a recognition dynamic, and rankings generate a competitive dynamic amongst learners. Once the reward system has been chosen, the next step is to create a scale to measure the level of consideration for each of the learner's actions. The whole problem in this stage is creating a scale that does not encourage the learner to repeat easy, non-qualifying learning acts only to get points.

To choose how to reward each activity, we must bear in mind the goals established prior to the training design. Finally, it is at this point that we decide on the substance of the incentives. Are we restricted to a certain number of points? Are there any concrete prizes, such as freebies or access to special material, if you earn enough points? Are the incentives gratitude, congrats, or even social recognition in the form of likes from other students?

Determine the loops of engagement.

Engagement loops are a kind of game design that aims to attract the player's attention and keep them engaged for as long as possible. If successfully replicated in a training situation, this may be a very intriguing process. Engagement loops in gamification allow you to value the learner's activities as well as his degree of advancement. They enable him to see how his knowledge grows as he advances through the program. The progression stages in the engagement loops allow for the chaining of loops at more challenging levels to enable the learner to improve in terms of abilities. The key challenge at this point is to provide acceptable information at a level high enough to drive learning and generate commitment without discouraging learners or demotivating them with too simple processes. We also define how the student will be able to track his own progress in the game, whether he is at the beginning or finish of his training course, at this point.

Create guidelines that are simple to understand and that achieve the goals.

Some people like board games that take two hours of prior decoding of the rules (notice that the rules governing the legal elements of e-learning are a little - a lot - longer). When it comes to gamification training, we should consider the polar opposite of this kind of game. Not only does not understanding demotivate, but the laws that must be obeyed must also be communicated in a clear, comprehensible, and understood way to everybody. It is vital to bear in mind the learner profiles that have been developed in advance in this situation. Furthermore, the game's rules must support the training's goals. They define the anticipated actions and how they will be rewarded, as well as the point scales or expected prizes. The regulations should spell out exactly what is expected of students.

Create a visually appealing atmosphere.

Engaging visual worlds that attract and keep the learning player interested are at the basis of effective gamification. Gamification in training entails creating aesthetically appealing programs with intuitive ergonomics that are tailored to the game.

The frictions in usage, as with any digital experience, demobilize learners. A training that successfully employs gamification understands how to make the most of today's game interfaces.

This is especially true when it comes to mobile learning since an increasing number of game players are doing it through apps on their smartphones. Nothing should be left to chance, whether it's the choice of colors or the language used since it might affect student engagement.

Would you like to know about this live? Request a Demo. It is totally free, you will be able to observe SuccessFactors operating live, with business scenarios similar to those of your business, and resolve any questions you may have with the advice of a specialized consultant.