Game Thinking in Impact Technology Solutions : External Triggers to Increase Intrinsic Motivation in an Altruistic Community

Abstract: To inspire users in an application, different types of triggers can exist and can come in many different forms, but for this report, gamification as a trigger is investigated. Gamification itself exists in many different services available and has been around for a number of years, but the interesting question is if these type of design elements will have a positive effect on an altruistic community in a civic engagement application. To investigate how this group of users react on gamification, an extensive literature review of previous studies was conducted within UX, psychology and gamification. A civic engagement application was adjusted with the help of existing frameworks and theories which were later tested with usability tests and a questionnaire called IMI measuring intrinsic motivation. The findings showed indications of positive attitude and when using gamification, five out of seven said they liked the design. The report resulted in guidelines that can be used as an inspiration when applying any gamified elements to a civic engagement service where users are driven by helping others.