Tennessee BTA Gamification Overview July, 2013 Tom Ruesink, President Ruesink Consulting Group, Inc.

What is and isn’t gamification? Yes “Gamification is the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to solve problems and engage audiences.” No

Why talk about gamification? Avg 21 yr old spent 10,000 hours gaming By 2016, Over 2.8 Billion USD to be spent by corporations (M2) By 2015, 70% of Global 2000 companies will have one gamified app (Gartner) Drugs! (dopamine ) 70%

Nike Plus

Nike Plus Avatar

Is Nike Plus a game? In a traditional sense? What do we get in Nike Plus? BadgesLevelsAvatars Social LayerChallengesAppointments Statistics

Fundamental Tenet #1 I want to have MY OWN UNIQUE experience within your system

Do frequent flyer programs use gamification? What do we see?  Status  Points  Levels  Leaderboards

What about these? Linked In Progress Bar: Scores profile completeness Facebook Likes, Twitter Re-tweets & Followers: Not enough to just add content or share - scored

HOWEVER Looking at a program through a gamification lense doesn’t have to be “high tech” or “high complexity”

Gamification Recipe One part sexy Three parts strategic points, leader boards, badges, challenges, scoring, levels, etc What’s the journey of the player, narrative, onboarding strategy, keep them interested, etc

Mechanics – Sexy Part 1 1. Player = User/Consumer. Allowed to customize & express themselves – social interactions. Old WorldCurrently

2. Game Dynamics = Pacing of the game, reward schedules, habit/addicting, appointments to come back, etc. CurrentlyOld World Mechanics – Sexy Part 2

Mechanics – Sexy Part 3 3. Progress = Levels, leader board, badges, points Old WorldNew World

Mechanics – Sexy Part 4 Old World New World 4. Aesthetics = The emotional component…how does the game evoke trust, curiosity, surprise, envy, pride, connection

Game Thinking

What is the user journey? How will we show progression? How will the user connect with others? What is the onboarding strategy – what are the first 30 seconds like for the user? Is there a clear path for the user – do they know their next actions? How will the user be allowed to customize/express themselves? What strategies will make users want to come back repeatedly?

What makes a good game? Flo Journey

What makes a good game?

Supplier to Corporation Way too many contract terms – no control over most Complexity forces corporations into 3 rd party analytics No ongoing narrative – organization doesn’t know progress Not clearly articulating/measuring steps to share, not just share: Biasing strategy ratings Organic v Intentional Share Rational Partner Airfare Inventory assumptions 10 Key Markets

Supplier to Traveler Status, Access, Power, Stuff They’ve figured out that it isn’t just about the free ticket anymore

Fundamental Tenet #2: What motivates? Status / Access / Power / Stuff IN THAT ORDER

Corporation to Traveler Only time I hear from travel program is exception/negative Travel isn’t hard – Corporations haven’t made the story compelling. We spit information and policy. How does my travel compliance help the company? Would I join the travel program if it was optional? Never onboarded Empower = Do what I want?

Game Thinking: Recognition vs Reward

Recognition That Doesn’t Cost Much  Thank you letters/notes when they reach a level or accomplish something - videoclips  Picture or placement on a portal page  Donations to charity in their name  Early access to events, tickets  Access to executives - webinars  Titles or labels  When an expense report gets processed Remember: Status / Power / Access / Stuff

Visual Recognition: From the fundraising thermometer to this…

Gamification in Travel

Possible ways to approach gamification in travel Compliance Approach: Natural tendency to immediately think “recognize compliant bookings” Comes with its share of challenges (refunds, exchanges, not wanting to encourage more travel, etc) Feedback Approach: Using visual recognition to encourage traveler feedback like hotel reviews, forum posts, etc. Education Approach: Helping travelers understand travel policy and company positions through game mechanics.

Where can we find Gamification in travel? MeetingsConference apps – awarding points for desired behaviors. Booking & Education GetThere Travel Hero, Serko: Leaderboard Runzheimer: SmartTrip Concur: Pts vs Benchmark T&T: Leaderboard Adelman: Leaderboard ReportingCornerstone: OneScore Travel GPA: Grade Pt Avg Air, Car, Hotel Vendors Most EVERY Air, Hotel, Car vendor. LOYALTY PROGRAMS WHERE USER EXPERIENCE IS BASED ON POINTS/STATUS

Examples in Travel One Number Score Cornerstone

Examples in Travel - TravelHero

Example of Meetings Applications Specific tangible behaviors that can be outlined. Clear beginning and ending – short time frame. Plug and Play

Starting to plug on top of forums and social networking sites

The challenge of “The Safari”

Final Thoughts Before Breakout: Start small – try out a “campaign” rather than a “system” Clearly define the actions you’re looking for from your stakeholder Digestible Ask them to do something – not just you pushing information to them Scoring is a good place to start Directionally correct – won’t be perfect

Breakout Think of every possible action or accomplishment that you could possibly congratulate a traveler or department for. Make a list.  Now add every possible action or accomplishment that you could congratulate an employee for. Brainstorm list of potential rewards that don’t cost money (remember status, access, power, stuff) Brainstorm list of potential fun badges/badge names

Questions & Discussion