Audience Engagement: Designing for Intrinsic Motivations
Robert Pratten CEO & Founder, Transmedia Storyteller Ltd
@robpratten
The Need to Engage
• If we are to engage audiences – especially over an extended period of time – we have to design experiences that satisfy core human needs
• Or to phrase another way, design experiences that appeal to intrinsic motivations
What is engagement?
• Being engaged means being “in the moment” of an experience
• Being “in the moment” is sometimes referred to as “being present” e.g. one’s mind is not elsewhere but focused to the exclusion of all else
Immersion (Rigby & Ryan)
• Physical presence – player feels physically transported to
game environment
• Emotional presence – player feels as they might in real life to
real world events
• Narrative presence – player feels able to affect the story
http://www.amazon.com/Glued-Games-Spellbound-Directions-ebook/dp/B004NYAH66/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1352200740&sr=8-1
Emotion leads to immersion
Immersion Intrinsic
Motivational Needs
http://www.amazon.com/Glued-Games-Spellbound-Directions-ebook/dp/B004NYAH66/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1352200740&sr=8-1
• Physical presence
• Emotional presence
• Narrative presence
• Competency
• Autonomy
• Relatedness
In games, satisfying intrinsic motivational needs is important for immersion and more you design to create immersion so the more you’ll satisfy intrinsic motivation needs.
Self-determination Theory
• Competency – To be in control and seek mastery
• Autonomy – Free to act
• Relatedness – To be connected to others
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory
http://www.immersyve.com/research-updates/2007/1/27/immersyves-player-experience-of-need-satisfaction-pens-model.html
“People have innate psychological needs that are the basis for self-motivation”
Used as the basis for The Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) model which seeks to understand player experience.
Human needs
• Significance (special, important, unique)
• Certainty (comfort & control)
• Variety (surprise)
• Connection (love)
• Growth (learning, mastery)
• Contribution (giving back)
Community Significance Contribution
Comfort Growth Learning Surprise
Comfort Growth
Learning Surprise
Fan Fan
Storyworld
Fandom meets human needs
Use transmedia storytelling to match intrinsic motivations
http://www.itc-arts.org/uploaded/documents/Theatre%20handbook.pdf
Audience Experience Framework
http://www.itc-arts.org/uploaded/documents/Theatre%20handbook.pdf
This framework, developed to assess theatre experiences can be used during the design process because it helps relate intrinsic motivations to expected audience satisfaction
Transmedia storytelling
• Note: Our brains don’t differentiate between fictional stories and real life
• Create a mix of “private” and “public” experiences – Understand which human needs these satisfy – Understand which commercial needs these satisfy
• Interaction with fictional characters: – Relatedness & connection – Significance, Importance, Uniqueness
• Game-based stories – Control, mastery, competence, learning
TV show + multi-platform
• TV show – Episodic = Consistency/Habit – Time-shifted & availability on other devices = Control/Autonomy
• Story – Learning, Understanding
• Social media (Twitter, Facebook) – Relatedness, Connection. Maybe significance.
• Missing Engagement? – Competence & Mastery – Significance – Growth – Contribution
Games, UGC, interaction with fictional characters
Branded Entertainment
http://www.slideshare.net/OgilvyWW/making-magic-using-logic-12262018
For brands to engage, they must embrace transmedia storytelling because TS can satisfy intrinsic motivational needs
Com
mer
cial
Goa
ls
Hum
an N
eeds
Transmedia storytelling must weave story, participation & social into single experience
Long-term engagement demands: • Good story • Participation/Interaction • Social aspect – fan-to-fan and/or fan-to-character
The End
Robert Pratten [email protected]
@robpratten USA: +1 415 287 4150
Europe: +44 207 193 4567
Pervasive Entertainment Platform Conducttr
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