ClearPoint hosted its second ‘Leaders of Online’ forum on 29 April. Over lunch, a group of peers shared knowledge and ideas with other recognised leaders in the IT industry.
The world is changing shape rapidly with the dramatic growth of technology adoption and usage. During 2008, the number of things connected to the internet exceeded the number of people on earth. By 2020, the number of things connected to the internet will dwarf the number of people on earth. ClearPoint Consulting Director Bain Hollister walked us through this brave new world in which people are drenched with information and the virtual and real worlds are connected to the point of merger.
Nick Langstone, ClearPoint’s Software Development Manager gave a briefing on gamification. Nick used to head up software development at SmallWorlds, a New Zealand owned gaming company, attracting more than 13 million players globally to its virtual world.
Nick presented a commercial view of gamification; how it can be employed for customer engagement and retention. Gamification engages people in fun ways. If you’re not having fun, you’re not going to engage, or keep coming back. Nick highlighted some examples like Investorville where you can play an absorbing game and learn about property investing. That’s instead of reading a 250 page book about the rudiments of property investing.
Education is cottoning onto the benefits of gamification. For children reluctant to do maths homework, they could be asked, “Do you want to play a game?” instead of “Do you want to do your maths homework?”
According to the godfather of gamification, Charles Coonradt, author of “The Game of Work”, the recipe for success is feedback. Immediate, on-going feedback is the secret sauce. That equates to customer engagement. Scorecards, leader boards and goals are just methods of making the secret sauce.
At ClearPoint we believe that innovation can occur anywhere and anytime. Discussion and debate between peers from different industries is a good stimulus for creativity and innovation. That’s why we initiate the Leaders of Online forums. Get in touch for more details or stay tuned to our blog for more fresh thinking.
