Individualized gamification elements: The impact of avatar and feedback design on reuse intention

Gamification is often equipped with the promise to increase motivation and performance. However, research explaining which gamification design elements are effective and the mechanisms through which these effects can be explained is still at an early stage. By drawing on the three psychological needs – competence, autonomy, and social relatedness – proposed by self-determination theory, we develop a model to explain the effects of feedback and avatar design on reuse. We test these effects with a 2 (avatar similarity: low vs. high) × 2 (embodied feedback: no feedback vs. embodied feedback) × 2 (status feedback: no feedback vs. score and leaderboard) + 1 (control group) experiment. Additionally, we use structural equation modeling to test the derived model. Our results support evidence that different forms of feedback and avatar design influence reuse by satisfying the three psychological needs. Furthermore, our findings also reveal that autonomy for decision freedom is negatively related to reuse intention, which disagrees with existing research and may provide insights into why results on gamification elements are inconsistent.