wordcamp 2010: why we turned office into a game

Why we turned Microsoft Officeinto a Game.

WordCamp 2010

1. Holes in UX 2. Game Mechanics

3. Ribbon Hero 4. Your Blog is a Game

1. Holes in UX 2. Game Mechanics

3. Ribbon Hero 4. Your Blog is a Game

Expert

Beginner

Intermediate

Lesson: Users hate and fear complexity

Simplify

Hide

Chop

Actual User Behavior

Crazy people

Cultural Explosions

Corporate bloggingNews blogs

As the years go on…

PR Blogs

Small Business Blogs

Gossip blogs

Political Blogs

Book Authors

FailBlogs

9432WordPress Plugins

Everyone is using a different 10%

iRock

This is not our user

This is our user

Deep mastery is fundamental to humanity

How do we build deep tools that unleash immense human

potential?

1. Holes in UX 2. Game Mechanics

3. Ribbon Hero 4. Your Blog is a Game

Games turn learning into delight

Exploratory Learning

1. Model

2. Tools

3. Action4. Rules

5. Stimulus

Model

Mario?

Tools

Controller

Action

Press Button

4. Rules

Event, Physics

5. Stimulus

It Moves

Model

Mario?

Tools

Controller

Action

Press Button

4. Rules

Event, Physics

5. Stimulus

It Moves

Model

Mario?

Tools

Controller

Action

Press Button

4. Rules

Event, Physics

5. Stimulus

It Moves

Model

Mario?

Tools

Controller

Action

Press Button

4. Rules

Event, Physics

5. Stimulus

It Moves

Model

Mario?

Tools

Controller

Action

Press Button

4. Rules

Event, Physics

5. Stimulus

It Moves

Model

I can Jump!

Tools

Controller

Action

Press Button

4. Rules

Event, Physics

5. Stimulus

It Moves

Skill Atom

Jump

Jump

Skill Tree

Kill Goomba!

Collect Mushroom

Kill Turtle

Jump on Platform

Moving Platform

Architecture for Learning

More to learn from Games

30 years of design lessons

1. Holes in UX 2. Game Mechanics

3. Ribbon Hero 4. Your Blog is a Game

The Problem

• Millions of users.

• Dozens of unique communities with using a different 10%

• Reorganizing only gets you so far.

Results

• Game need work: Only 3.5 out of 10 for fun.

• Great Help: Given the choice between tradition Help and playing a game, users pick the game almost every time.

Lessons

• If you do a crappy job and people still think the result is amazing, you are onto something.

• If this can work with Word, it can work with almost anything.

1. Holes in UX 2. Game Mechanics

3. Ribbon Hero 4. Your Blog is a Game

Blogs are already a game

Model What is a good

post?

Tools: WordPress

ActionWrite a post!

RulesHTML, JS, RSS

StimulusComments and

Stats

Conclusion

• Human beings are full of vast potential

• Build software that enables mastery

• Simplicity is a start, not the solution

• Game design creates curious, delighted users

• Build architectures of playful learning into our software

Questions?

Emaildanc@lostgarden.com

EssaysLostgarden.com

Ribbon Herohttp://www.officelabs.com/ribbonhero

Appendix

Stuff I couldn’t fit in the main presentation

Meaningful Software Lasts

Tyrian (1997)

Anark Studio (2000)

Microsoft Word (1982)

Wordpress (2003)

Increase Accessibility

Increased accessibility

Modularity

Reduced Scope

* Eventually you need to put them back.

Layering

Rote Learning vs. Exploratory Learning

Game Learning Rote Learning

Success and Failure Teaches Success only

Repeated Patterns Do it once

Wisdom Book Learning

Delightful Dull

Elder Game

Intro / Tutorial

Progression Game