Adaptive Gamification: Personalizing Persuasive Interfaces

Motivation is a key determinant in explaining the initiation and effort humans exert in the process of performing tasks. The linearity of its magnitude has a direct relationship to cognitively, biologically, and socially influencing behavioral change (Dichev & Dicheva, 2017). Over the last decade, gamification has been leveraged across diverging disciplines to target motivational properties and encourage end-user participation. However, its inability to induce intrinsic motivation in users has been a barrier to unlocking the full potential of its use. Through a user-centered approach, this study explores adaptive gamification as a design technique for creating persuasive interfaces that engender motivation. The prototype of a gamified learning platform, Sandbox, demonstrates a dynamic system model that enables engagement toward desired learning outcomes.