Persuasive Affordance Design in

139 Pages·2015·3.48 MB·English

Persuasive Affordance Design
in “Mindful Meerkats”

An interdisciplinary exploration of a smartphone game as a potential instrument
for behavioural change towards happiness-inducing lifestyles

Jonas Wolterstorff
Persuasive Affordance Design

in “Mindful Meerkats”

An interdisciplinary exploration of a
smartphone game as a potential instrument
for behavioural change towards happiness-in-
ducing lifestyles
Jonas Frederik Wolterstorff (4189930)
[email protected]
Date of Submission: 09.08.2015

Thesis for the graduation of the Master of Science (MSc)
in Sustainable Development
Copernicus Institute
Faculty of Geoscience
Utrecht University
30 ECTS

1st Reader:
prof. Walter Vermeulen
Utrecht University

2nd Reader:
prof. Alan Brent
Sustainability Institute
Public School of Leadership
Stellenbosch University
~I~

A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyless

“Watch your thoughts,
they become words;
Watch your words,
they become actions;
Watch your actions,
they become habits;
Watch your habits,
they become character;
Watch your character,
for it becomes your destiny.”
~ inter alia Frank Outlaw 1

1 Interesting discussion of the origin of the quote and the fact that there are more than one author considered to be
responsible for this poem:
www.quoteinvestigator.com/2013/01/10/watch-your-thoughts/

Additionally, the following wordplay was uncovered: The starting letters of the central keywords words, action, thoughts,
character and habits can be rearranged to form the word watch.
Master Thesis
~II~
Mindful Meerkats - A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyles

Abstract
Sustainable Development is in desperate need of understand-
ing human behaviour. Most issues that are considered vital re-
quire being tackled from the ground up. However, other fields
have to be pulled in to make sense of behavioural patterns.
These are Persuasive Technology, Human-Computer-Interaction, Design
and Motivational Psychology.
Grounding the argumentation on these schools of thought,
this work argues that a smartphone game provides a wide range
of capacities that can inspire individuals to make changes in
their lives that multiply and become behavioural patterns that
in turn have considerable impacts with regards to many of Sus-
tainable Development’s core issues such as Climate Change,
economic, ecological and financial crises.
With an approach that focuses on personal wellbeing, playful-
ness and intrinsic motivation, individuals shall be excited for an
in-game narrative that incentivises them to fulfil real-life chal-
lenges that will kick off positive, beneficial feedback.

Wolterstorff – Thesis for Master of Science – Sustainable Development/Utrecht University
~III~

A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyless

Outline
1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
2 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 7
3 CONCEPTS & THEORIES ................................................................................................... 15
4 WHERE ARE WE NOW? - MINDFUL MEERKATS AS A WORK IN PROGRESS ..... 36
5 MOTIVATIONAL AFFORDANCES: COMPILING LESSONS FROM CASE STUDIES 46
6 DESIGN & APPLICATION – APPLYING LESSONS ....................................................... 91
7 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 105
8 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 115
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................... 122
ANNEX ........................................................................................................................................... 128

Master Thesis
~IV~
Mindful Meerkats - A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyles

T C
ABLE OF ONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 The need for change ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Problem Definition .............................................................................................................................. 4
1.3 Aim ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.4 Research Question ............................................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Procedure ............................................................................................................................................ 5
2 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Literature Research ............................................................................................................................. 7
2.1.1 Relevant Disciplines ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.1.2 Conceptual Linkage of Literature ...................................................................................................... 8
2.1.3 Literature bodies ............................................................................................................................... 9
2.2 Writing conduct: The Scientific Iteration Method .............................................................................. 10
2.3 Mental Model – Assumed .................................................................................................................. 11
3 CONCEPTS & THEORIES ................................................................................................... 15
3.1 Persuasive Technology & Motivational Psychology: How does Behavioural Change occur? .............. 15
3.1.1 Action/Behaviour/Habit .................................................................................................................. 16
3.1.2 Motivation and other Psychological States ..................................................................................... 23
3.2 Conceptual Synthesis: An extended Behavioural Chain ..................................................................... 25
3.2.1 Motivational Needs ......................................................................................................................... 25
3.2.2 Motivational Affordances ................................................................................................................ 26
3.2.3 Psychological Outcomes .................................................................................................................. 28
3.3 Persuasive Affordance ....................................................................................................................... 31
3.4 Creating Critical Mass – The Positive Feedback Loop Assumption...................................................... 32
3.5 Research Framework ......................................................................................................................... 33
4 WHERE ARE WE NOW? - MINDFUL MEERKATS AS A WORK IN PROGRESS ..... 36
4.1 Essential Mindful Meerkats Design Principles .................................................................................... 37
4.2 Justifying the Name? Why Meerkats? Why Mindful? ........................................................................ 37
4.3 Description of Motivational Affordances in Mindful Meerkats .......................................................... 38
4.3.1 Meeka as Virtual Agent ................................................................................................................... 38
Wolterstorff – Thesis for Master of Science – Sustainable Development/Utrecht University
~V~

A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyless

4.3.2 Mindful Meerkats as Hybrid of Social Network & Online Community ............................................ 39
4.3.3 Data Collection and Feedback towards Mindfulness ...................................................................... 40
4.3.4 Lookout Master Board and Best Burrow Board .............................................................................. 44
4.3.5 Other Motivational Affordances in Mindful Meerkats to examine in Further Research ................ 45
5 MOTIVATIONAL AFFORDANCES: COMPILING LESSONS FROM CASE STUDIES 46
5.1 Virtual Agents – Finding Research to Scrutinise Meeka as Motivational Affordance .......................... 46
5.1.1 Analysis: Virtual Agent .................................................................................................................... 47
5.1.2 Effectiveness for Behavioural Change: Studies of Cases of Virtual Agents ..................................... 53
5.1.3 Applying Lessons from Psychology and Human-Computer-Interaction to Decipher Virtual Agents
56
5.2 An Online Society – Finding Research to Scrutinise Meekas & Meecats in Online Clans as
Motivational Affordance ................................................................................................................................ 57
5.2.1 Analysis: Online Communities ......................................................................................................... 57
5.2.2 Effectiveness for Behavioural Change ............................................................................................. 59
5.2.3 Applying Lessons from Psychology and Human-Computer-Interaction to Decipher Online
Networks & Communities ................................................................................................................................. 73
5.3 Diary Elements and Personal Tracking – Finding Research to Scrutinise Feedback as Motivational
Affordance ..................................................................................................................................................... 75
5.3.1 Analysis: Quantified Self & Big Data ................................................................................................ 75
5.3.2 Effectiveness for Behavioural Change: Quantified Self Case Studies .............................................. 80
5.4 Visualised Ranking – Finding Research to Scrutinise Lookout Master Board & Best Burrow Board as
Motivational Affordance ................................................................................................................................ 84
5.4.1 Analysis: Leaderboards .................................................................................................................... 84
5.4.2 Effectiveness for Behavioural Change: An exemplary Leaderboard Case Study ............................. 86
5.4.3 Leaderboards As Persuasive Affordance ......................................................................................... 87
5.5 Persuasive Affordances as Culmination of Behavioural Insights ........................................................ 88
6 DESIGN & APPLICATION – APPLYING LESSONS ....................................................... 91
6.1 Insights for Mindful Meerkats from Motivational Affordances .......................................................... 91
6.1.1 Meeka as Virtual Agent ................................................................................................................... 91
6.1.2 Mindful Meerkats as Online Community & Network ...................................................................... 99
6.1.3 Quantified Self & Quantified Environment for Mindfulness ......................................................... 102
6.1.4 Lookout Master and Best Burrow as Leaderboards ...................................................................... 103
6.2 Persuasive Affordances in Mindful Meerkats................................................................................... 104
7 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 105
7.1 Design Insights ................................................................................................................................. 105
7.2 Justification, Falsification, Deduction – Assumptions meet Research .............................................. 106
Master Thesis
~VI~
Mindful Meerkats - A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyles

7.3 Linearity vs. Complexity ................................................................................................................... 114
8 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 115
8.1 Novelty and Innovation ................................................................................................................... 115
8.2 Further possible Research with and about Mindful Meerkats.......................................................... 117
8.3 Boundaries and Limitations ............................................................................................................. 119
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................... 122
ANNEX ........................................................................................................................................... 128
Wolterstorff – Thesis for Master of Science – Sustainable Development/Utrecht University
~VII~

A Smartphone Game as an instrument for behavioural change towards sustainable lifestyless

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Mental Model of “Mindful Meerkats” (HCI = Human-Computer-Interaction;
SEP = Social and Environmental Psychology) 12
Figure 2: How a single action can evolve to be Societal Change – Conceptual Progression (Created
by Author) ................................................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 3: Fogg Behavior Model (Fogg 2014)....................................................................................... 17
Figure 4: Abstracted elements from the Definitions of Gamification (Hamari 2015) .................. 27
Figure 5: Situated Motivational Affordances (Deterding 2011) ........................................................ 28
Figure 6: Action-Norm-Proggression (Created by Author) .............................................................. 32
Figure 7: Behavioural Chain (Created by Author) .............................................................................. 33
Figure 8: Research Framework .............................................................................................................. 35
Figure 9: Logo Of Mindful Meerkats ................................................................................................... 36
Figure 10: Mascott of Mindful Meerkats ........................................................................................... 38
Figure 11: Preliminary, outdated Mockup of Interaction Interface ................................................. 41
Figure 12: Most Recent Avatar Designs ((c) Mindful Meerkats) ...................................................... 97
Figure 13: Mental Model + Behavioural Chain ................................................................................. 106

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Common psychological Factors linked to Games (Hamari 2015) .................................... 29
Table 2: Psychological Outcomes & Motivational Needs ................................................................. 30
Table 3: Virtual Agent Typology (By Author) ..................................................................................... 53
Table 4: Emotions & Motivations reported by research on Selected Cases ................................... 69
Table 5: Behavioural Insights in Case Studies ..................................................................................... 73
Table 6: Virtual Agent Typology - Extended (By Author) ................................................................ 94
Table 7: Assumptions, Verifications, Falsification, Deductions - An Overview ......................... 112

Master Thesis