Irresistible Apps (eBook)

Chris Lewis is a software engineer based in Silicon Valley, and in a past life he worked as a database consultant. He holds a Computer Science PhD from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he researched both software engineering and game design, marrying the two in his study of motivational design patterns. He is co-founder of the Games and Software Engineering academic workshop.

Contents at a Glance 3
Contents 186
About the Author 193
About the TechnicalReviewers 194
Acknowledgments 196
Chapter 1: Introduction to Motivational Design 5
Motivational Design 5
The Irresistible Smartphone 6
The Zero-Sum Game 6
Motivational Design Patterns 7
How to Read This Book 7
Chapter 4: Gameful Patterns 8
Chapter 5: Social Patterns 8
Chapter 6: Interface Patterns 9
Chapter 7: Information Patterns 10
Chapter 9: Temporal Dark Patterns 10
Chapter 10: Monetary Dark Patterns 11
Chapter 11: Social Capital Dark Patterns 11
Conclusion 11
Chapter 2: Psychology of Motivation 12
Cargo Cult Design 12
Behavioral Psychology 13
Intrinsic Motivation Theories 15
The Importance of Learning: Malone 16
Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness: Deci and Ryan 16
Self-Determination Theory 17
Cognitive Evaluation Theory 18
A Multifaceted View: Reiss 19
Behavioral Economics 22
Conclusion 22
Chapter 3: Understanding Design Patterns 23
Pattern Languages 23
Using Motivational User Stories to Discover Patterns 24
Motivational User Stories 25
Motivational Design Pattern Definition 26
How Users Perceive a Motivational Design Pattern 27
Pattern Discovery 28
Prototype Theory 29
On the Correctness of Patterns, or Lack Thereof 29
Pattern Description and Organization 30
Pattern Template 30
Shorthand Notations 31
Organization of Patterns 31
Motivational Design Patterns 31
Motivational Dark Patterns 34
Conclusion 34
Chapter 4: Gameful Patterns 35
When to Use 36
Pattern: Collection 37
How It’s Used 37
What to Watch for 38
Specialization of Collection: Badge 39
How It’s Used 39
What to Watch for 41
Pattern: Growth 42
How It’s Used 42
Pattern: Increased Responsibility 43
How It’s Used 43
Pattern: Leaderboard 46
How It’s Used 46
What to Watch for 47
Pattern: Score 48
How It’s Used 48
What to Watch for 49
Conclusion 52
Chapter 5: Social Patterns 53
When to Use 53
Pattern: Activity Stream 54
How It’s Used 54
Pattern: Broadcast 55
How It’s Used 55
What to Watch For 56
Specialization of Broadcast: Social Feedback 56
How It’s Used 56
What to Watch For 59
Pattern: Contact List 60
How It’s Used 60
What to Watch For 61
Pattern: Identifiable Community 62
How It’s Used 63
What to Watch For 63
Specialization of Identifiable Community: Meta-Area 64
How It’s Used 64
What to Watch For 65
Pattern: Identity Shaping 67
How It’s Used 67
What to Watch For 68
Pattern: Item Sharing 69
How It’s Used 69
Conclusion 70
Chapter 6: Interface Patterns 71
When to Use 71
Pattern: Notifications 72
How It’s Used 72
What to Watch For 73
Pattern: Praise 74
How It’s Used 74
What to Watch For 75
Pattern: Predictable Results 76
How It’s Used 76
What to Watch For 77
Pattern: State Preservation 77
How It’s Used 78
What to Watch For 79
Pattern: Undo 81
How It’s Used 81
Conclusion 81
Chapter 7: Information Patterns 83
When to Use 83
Pattern: Customization 84
How It’s Used 84
What to Watch For 85
Specialization of Customization: Filters 85
How It’s Used 85
What to Watch For 86
Pattern: Intriguing Branch 86
How It’s Used 86
Pattern: Organization of Information 87
How It’s Used 87
Pattern: Personalization 89
How It’s Used 89
What to Watch For 91
Pattern: Reporting 92
How It’s Used 92
Pattern: Search 92
How It’s Used 93
What to Watch For 95
Pattern: Task Queue 95
How It’s Used 95
What to Watch For 98
Conclusion 98
Chapter 8: Understanding Motivational Dark Patterns 100
Defining Motivational Dark Patterns 101
Using Dark Patterns Ethically: Give Users a Choice 101
Organization of Dark Patterns 102
Conclusion 102
Chapter 9: Temporal Dark Patterns 104
How to Avoid 104
Dark Pattern: Grind 105
How It’s Used 105
Dark Pattern: Hellbroadcast 108
How It’s Used 108
Dark Pattern: Interaction by Demand 109
How It’s Used 109
Conclusion 111
Chapter 10: Monetary Dark Patterns 112
How to Avoid 112
Dark Pattern: Currency Confusion 113
How It’s Used 113
Dark Pattern: Monetized Rivalries 115
How It’s Used 115
Dark Pattern: Pay to Skip 116
How It’s Used 117
Conclusion 118
Chapter 11: Social Capital Dark Patterns 119
How to Avoid 119
Dark Pattern: Impersonation 120
How It’s Used 120
Dark Pattern: Social Pyramid Schemes 123
How It’s Used 123
Conclusion 125
Chapter 12: Patterns as Analysis Tools 126
Case Study: Khan Academy 127
Patterns Used 127
In Detail 129
Task Queue 129
Score 132
Badge 134
Summary 136
Case Study: Tiny Tower 137
Patterns Used 140
In Detail 141
Notification 141
Growth 142
Score 142
Summary 143
Conclusion 143
Chapter 13: Patterns as Design Tools 144
Case Study: Web Site Built Around Voting 144
Problem Statement 145
Pattern Choice 145
Annotated Mock-ups 147
Case Study: Crowdsourced Game for Science 154
Problem Statement 154
Pattern Choice 154
Annotated Mock-ups 155
Conclusion 163
Chapter 14: The End Is the Beginning 164
Recap 164
What You’ve Learned 165
Moving Forward 165
Become a Champion for Motivation 166
Become the Enemy of Easy Answers 166
Document Your Own Patterns 166
Change the Design Process 167
The Secret Is There Is No Secret 167
Chapter 15: Bibliography 168
Index 178