Research Methodologies

April 8, 2013

The State of Gamification in Market Research

Gamification has slowly been gaining traction in the market research space. What is the leading example of successful research gamification?

Jason Anderson

by Jason Anderson

Owner at Datagame

0

gamification word cloud

 

By Jason Anderson

The concept of “gamification” and “market research” has been slowly gaining traction for several years. Gamification in general (the use of game design and mechanics in non-gaming contexts), while not taking over the world, has many public examples of what it means to successfully infuse games into something different. Foursquare was the clear, early example in location-based services; Badgeville and Bunchball have been providing turnkey solutions for common game mechanics in a variety of industries.

So: what is the leading example of successful gamification in market research?

Unfortunately, there aren’t many publicly discussed case studies that can answer this question. Most of the external chatter has focused on either (a) validating / refuting the scientific legitimacy of research gamification, or (b) building support for this young and developing space. This is somewhat surprising, as the recent GRIT Report survey of research practitioners says 49% of researchers are either using or considering gamification. The gap between interest and action is driven by two major barriers:

  1. From the client side, a lack of knowledge and insufficient proof that it works; and
  2. From the supplier side, a lack of knowledge and insufficient proof that it works.

In other words, it sounds like a great concept, but hasn’t yet passed the smell test for established agencies to invest in refining the methodology. The obvious confidentiality constraints between supplier and client, and the desire to build competitive advantage against other suppliers, are secondary issues. Gamification and market research are so far from current thinking, in fact, that the industry’s current research services directories do not even contain headings for gamification (e.g., GreenBook, MRA BlueBook, Quirk’s). (Yes, Quirk’s has Toluna listed as a gamification supplier. Personally, I would disagree.)

This is a shame, but not altogether surprising. Like most new technologies, we first attempt to enhance existing products and behaviors by bolting on the new thing. Time and experience teach us the distinctive characteristics of the New Thing, and we eventually realize that truly New Things require new behaviors and assumptions. So it goes with gamification: for the most part, researchers look at online surveys as the vehicle that can most benefit from games. Improve engagement, reduce respondent fatigue, perhaps even lower overall cost by improving survey completion rates. These things may be true, but it is not the only way to think about games.

Games and stories go hand in hand. Games are almost always driven by a back story (even a simplistic one). Games channel human behavior into structured rules; the information we can collect from a game is not limited to just the outcome of who won or lost. In some cases, the act of participating in a game creates more value for a research audience than observing a game. All of this is moot, of course, unless we continue to experiment and refine these techniques, but our recent experiences in designing board games for qualitative research activities is strengthening our interest in the practice.

 

For more thought from Jason visit the Insights Meta blog

0

gamificationonline surveysstate of the industry

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.

Comments

Comments are moderated to ensure respect towards the author and to prevent spam or self-promotion. Your comment may be edited, rejected, or approved based on these criteria. By commenting, you accept these terms and take responsibility for your contributions.

More from Jason Anderson

Pokemon Go: Gamification Lessons For Research

Research Technology (ResTech)

Pokemon Go: Gamification Lessons For Research

Pokémon Go has been hugely successful in terms of adoption and engagement. How has Pokémon Go garnered such success so quickly? What can we learn, as ...

Jason Anderson

Jason Anderson

Owner at Datagame

Data Quality, Privacy, and Ethics

Is Safe Harbor Still Safe?

The European Court of Justice recently invalidated the Safe Harbor progrm. What are the implications for consumer research?

Jason Anderson

Jason Anderson

Owner at Datagame

Data Quality, Privacy, and Ethics

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act: We Reap What We Sow

Maybe our own behavior, and the never-ending stream of surveys, has tainted the previously clean karma of the after-work phone survey.

Jason Anderson

Jason Anderson

Owner at Datagame

Of Innovation and Snake Oil

For several years now, the insights industry has been talking about innovation. I struggle to remember what people talked about before.

Jason Anderson

Jason Anderson

Owner at Datagame

ARTICLES

Moving Away from a Narcissistic Market Research Model

Research Methodologies

Moving Away from a Narcissistic Market Research Model

Why are we still measuring brand loyalty? It isn’t something that naturally comes up with consumers, who rarely think about brand first, if at all. Ma...

Devora Rogers

Devora Rogers

Chief Strategy Officer at Alter Agents

The Stepping Stones of Innovation: Navigating Failure and Empathy with Carol Fitzgerald
Natalie Pusch

Natalie Pusch

Senior Content Producer at Greenbook

Sign Up for
Updates

Get what matters, straight to your inbox.
Curated by top Insight Market experts.

67k+ subscribers

Weekly Newsletter

Greenbook Podcast

Webinars

Event Updates

I agree to receive emails with insights-related content from Greenbook. I understand that I can manage my email preferences or unsubscribe at any time and that Greenbook protects my privacy under the General Data Protection Regulation.*