Gamification in Learning and Development: What You Need to Know

One of the keys to a successful learning and development program is to have the audience engaged. After all, if the participants are engaged, they’re more focused and participative. Gamification in learning and development aims to do this, as well as having transparency, good design, and competition.

What is gamification?

So, what is gamification exactly?

Gartner defines gamification as the use of game mechanics to drive engagement in non-game business scenarios and to change behaviors in a target audience to achieve business outcomes. When you apply the essences of games into your organizations’ processes, such as in learning and development, that is gamification.

Incorporating gamification in learning and development

Before you start incorporating gamification in learning and development programs of your organization, identify your learning objectives first. You have to make sure that the gamification techniques you incorporate in your training programs will help you in reaching your learning objectives.

After identifying your learning objectives, that’s when you can start identifying the gamification techniques you can utilize to achieve your goals. These techniques should also reflect your target audience. After all, they’re the ones who’ll be in these gamified learning and development programs.  It’s best to do extensive research regarding this, especially if the gamification techniques and technologies you want to use will be outsourced. You want to hire a company that will really provide good service and support to all your requirements.

And of course, it’s also crucial to know whether you have the means to measure the results. Are your implemented gamification techniques effective? Do you have ways to measure the results? You have to be able to determine whether gamification is effective for your audience and the organization.

While it is believed that gamification is still developing, it wouldn’t hurt to try it for your organization. The key is to properly plan how you’ll incorporate it in your learning and development programs. What do you know, it may just be the right thing for you!