Disambiguating Preferences for Gamification Strategies to Motivate Pro-Environmental Behaviour

Gamification strategies designed to encourage pro-environmental behavior are most effective when aligned with a user’s contextual intrinsic motivation rather than static personality typologies. While traditional frameworks like the Hexad user model attempt to categorize players into stable personality traits, these models often fail to predict specific preferences within the nuanced domain of sustainability. Instead, intrinsic motivation toward the environment serves as a far more reliable indicator, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the variance in sustainable behavior and engagement with gamified features.

The research, conducted through an in-the-wild experiment with 56 participants, reveals that the psychological impact of game elements is highly subjective. For instance, extrinsic mechanics such as points are frequently perceived as meaningful achievements by intrinsically motivated users, suggesting that the effectiveness of a design element depends more on individual perception than on universal categorization. Consequently, the reliance on global user types to drive engagement in pro-environmental applications is largely ineffective, as these models overlook the dynamic nature of human motivation across different situational contexts.

These findings highlight a significant challenge for developers: gamified interventions currently resonate most strongly with individuals who already possess a high degree of intrinsic motivation. Engaging users who are primarily driven by extrinsic factors remains a persistent hurdle in the field of persuasive technology. Future design efforts should move away from one-size-fits-all gamification strategies and instead prioritize a multi-level approach that measures motivation at the contextual and situational levels. By tailoring interventions to these specific motivational states, developers can create more impactful tools that successfully bridge the gap between user intent and sustainable action.