Short answer

When designing gamified cultural heritage projects, focus on intrinsic motivators and tailor experiences for tourists and visitors using prevalent technologies like mobile apps, AR, and VR.

Field: User-Centred Design
Source: Heritage (2023)
Method: Systematic Literature Review
Evidence: Moderate effect

Gamified experiences in cultural heritage predominantly target tourists and visitors, focusing on enhancing intrinsic motivation and creativity through mobile applications, AR, and VR. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Heritage. Using Systematic literature review, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing gamified cultural heritage projects, focus on intrinsic motivators and tailor experiences for tourists and visitors using prevalent technologies like mobile apps, AR, and VR.

Study

User-Centred DesignRecentModerate effect

Gamification in Cultural Heritage Prioritizes Intrinsic Motivation for Tourists and Visitors

Gamified experiences in cultural heritage predominantly target tourists and visitors, focusing on enhancing intrinsic motivation and creativity through mobile applications, AR, and VR.

Heritage · 2023

Key Findings

01European institutions, particularly from Italy, Greece, and the UK, are prominent in gamified cultural heritage research.
02Historical, architectural, and archaeological heritage are frequently gamified.
03Gamification is primarily used for motivation/engagement and creativity enhancement.
04Intrinsic motivation is prioritized in gamification design dimensions.
05Tourists and visitors are the main target audience, followed by children.

Application

Design takeaway

When designing gamified cultural heritage projects, focus on intrinsic motivators and tailor experiences for tourists and visitors using prevalent technologies like mobile apps, AR, and VR.

How to apply

When developing a gamified cultural heritage project, consider how to foster curiosity and a sense of accomplishment, and explore the use of mobile or AR/VR elements to enhance visitor engagement.

Project actions

01Consider how to make a heritage site experience intrinsically motivating for users.
02Explore the use of mobile or AR/VR to enhance user engagement in your design project.

Method & Evidence

AimTo systematically review and map the landscape of gamified cultural heritage research, identifying key actors, heritage types, purposes, design dimensions, target audiences, and technologies.

MethodSystematic Literature Review

ProcedureThe researchers conducted a broad and systematic literature review to map publications in the field of gamified cultural heritage, analyzing trends in actors, heritage focus, gamification purposes, design dimensions, target publics, and technologies.

ContextCultural Heritage Sector

Variables

IV["Gamification elements (e.g., points, badges, challenges)","Type of cultural heritage (historical, architectural, archaeological)","Technology used (Mobile App, AR, VR)"]

DV["User engagement","Motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic)","Creativity enhancement","User satisfaction"]

CV["Target audience (tourists, visitors, children)","Geographic origin of research institutions"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Comprehensive systematic review covering multiple aspects of gamified cultural heritage.
+Identifies key trends and gaps in current research.

Limitations

The study found that many projects don't look beyond their own scope, so future research might need to be more collaborative.

Reliability & validity

The systematic review methodology enhances reliability by providing a structured approach to literature selection and analysis. Validity is supported by the broad scope of the review, covering multiple facets of the research area.

Think critically

To what extent can gamification truly capture the 'essence' of cultural heritage, or does it risk trivializing it?

Design Principles

"Design gamified experiences that tap into users' intrinsic desires for exploration, learning, and achievement, particularly within heritage contexts."

Understanding user engagement drivers is crucial for designing effective cultural heritage experiences. By prioritizing intrinsic motivation, designers can create more immersive and memorable interactions that foster deeper connections with heritage sites.

What This Means for Your Design

Gamifying cultural sites often works best when it makes people feel curious and accomplished, especially for tourists. Using phones or special glasses (AR/VR) can make it more fun.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this study when discussing the rationale for using gamification to enhance user engagement in cultural heritage projects.
2.Use the findings on target audiences and preferred technologies to justify design choices.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This systematic literature review highlights that gamification in cultural heritage predominantly targets tourists and visitors, with a strong emphasis on intrinsic motivation and creativity enhancement. The prevalent use of mobile applications, AR, and VR suggests these technologies are effective tools for engaging audiences with historical, architectural, and archaeological sites.

Source

Heritage

A Systematic Literature Review of Gamification in/for Cultural Heritage: Leveling up, Going Beyond

journal · 2023

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about gamification in cultural heritage prioritizes intrinsic motivation for tourists and visitors?: When designing gamified cultural heritage projects, focus on intrinsic motivators and tailor experiences for tourists and visitors using prevalent technologies like mobile apps, AR, and VR. Evidence: Heritage (2023).
Why does "Gamification in Cultural Heritage Prioritizes Intrinsic Motivation for Tourists and Visitors" matter for design?: Understanding user engagement drivers is crucial for designing effective cultural heritage experiences. By prioritizing intrinsic motivation, designers can create more immersive and memorable interactions that foster deeper connections with heritage sites.
How can designers apply this research?: When designing gamified cultural heritage projects, focus on intrinsic motivators and tailor experiences for tourists and visitors using prevalent technologies like mobile apps, AR, and VR.
What were the main findings?: European institutions, particularly from Italy, Greece, and the UK, are prominent in gamified cultural heritage research.. Historical, architectural, and archaeological heritage are frequently gamified.. Gamification is primarily used for motivation/engagement and creativity enhancement.. Intrinsic motivation is prioritized in gamification design dimensions.
What research method was used?: Systematic Literature Review.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2023 journal from Heritage.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing a gamified cultural heritage project, consider how to foster curiosity and a sense of accomplishment, and explore the use of mobile or AR/VR elements to enhance visitor engagement.
What are the limitations?: Most reviewed papers were self-contained, with limited discussion of future directions beyond project continuation or expansion.