The Effects of Gameful and Playful Design on Users’ Behavior: The Case of Duolingo

The Effects of Gameful and Playful Design on Users’ Behavior: The Case of Duolingo

The Effects of Gameful and Playful Design on Users’ Behavior: The Case of Duolingo

Aleksandra Daniluk, Hendrik Engelbrecht

Abstract

"This study aimed to investigate and compare the effects of gameful and playful designs on user behavior in the case of a language learning app called Duolingo due to its use of both approaches. Literature shows that while gameful design has been widely studied, playful design is still relatively unexplored, and both designs can be utilized in educational contexts to enhance learning. Therefore, this research contributes to the understanding of the differences between gameful and playful designs, their impact on user behaviors, such as user engagement, motivation, and interaction with educational applications, and the influence of the users' individual differences. To collect data, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted during which participants were shown six real Duolingo notifications in both gameful and playful designs and asked to share their thoughts. As an additional layer, this explorative qualitative research examined the impact of Bartle’s Player Types as a means of individual differences between participants on the design’s effects. Later, insights were thoroughly analyzed and the key findings revealed that both designs positively influence user engagement and motivation in a similar matter, and the extent of this impact of the approaches varies based on individual differences and personal preferences."

Reference

Daniluk, A., & Engelbrecht, H. (2024). The effects of gameful and playful design on users’ behavior: The case of Duolingo [Master's thesis, Tilburg University]. http://arno.uvt.nl/show.cgi?fid=167074

Tags

gameful design, playful design, user behavior, engagement, motivation, duolingo, bartle’s player types, learning