CHAPTER 11

Gamification of Market Research

Jon Puleston,

Global Market Insite, Inc.

This chapter explores the use of gamification in social science research as a means of designing more effective research studies. Gamification has increased rapidly in market research and other areas in the last few years, and survey researchers outside the market research world are beginning to adopt it—but what & does it mean? Does gamification have any substance, and how can it be used in research? Gamification is the process of applying game-design thinking to nongame applications and activities to make them more enjoyable and, as a result, increase participation in the activity. Put more simply, it is the realization that people may more willing to participate in activities if they are fun!

Gamification is affecting many aspects of the marketing, design, and entertainment industries. Commercial enterprises use games to motivate individuals to do all kinds of activities, from exercising to shopping. Even governments are using games as a means of social engineering and revolutionizing education.

According to a 2011 Gartner Research Report, by 2015 more than 50% of organizations that manage innovation processes plan to gamify those processes (Gartner, 2011). The trend has gained momentum and support from industry heavyweights such as Bing Gordon, Al Gore, and J. P. Rangaswami (Chief Scientist of Salesforce.com). It is one of the most discussed trends in Silicon Valley, and Google Trends shows ...

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