University Projects

The definition of Ludic is: "Showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness." Therefore ludic elements I have included are:  Achievements that are awarded to the user  Unlockable items from getting achievements - Which unlock customisable features in the app Gamified animations when sending Documents, Images and Audio Bibliography & References [1] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ludic

Gamification is beneficial when designing an application as it allows the user to interact with the app in a fun way. It keeps the user entertained and gives the user another reason to continuing using the app while keeping the app's main functionality. Moreover a sense of progress gives the user an incentive to use the app more as they want to continue unlocking features and earning achievements. WhatsApp's main function is to allow users to message, call and send attachments over a Wi-Fi or data connection. Therefore saving a user's minutes and text's if they are running low and allowing them to use additional features that they may not be able to use (e.g. video calling) when using only their phone.

I decided to design some of the aspects of WhatsApp I would choose to gamify which mainly included aspects of the chat feature as from my market research the chat feature was one of my most important features of the app. Therefore, I decided to gamify the attachment and calling section of this feature. Furthermore, I wanted to add achievements to the app so that people are tempted to continue playing the app. I would also remove features that users do not seem to use very often or if at all making the app more effective.

Furthermore in my market research my last question was: "What new feature(s) would you like to add to WhatsApp?" Although the majority of the participants answered with the responses 'none', or 'nothing' three participants included features they wished to add to WhatsApp. This included: These are all features that could easily be implemented into the app by a programmer and are definite design considerations when designing the gamified version of this app.

By creating a survey, I was able to gain a better picture on how others use WhatsApp and what they find important within the app. The results of my survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-73XF8VK8L/ Eight participants took part in my questionnaire. From these results I gained a lot more knowledge and understanding of others opinions that may slightly differ from my own. I have reported my findings below. Question 5 asks the user what they think is the most important feature when using WhatsApp. Currently the Chat (37.5%) and the Groups (50%) are the most important features determined by this poll. Therefore this would lead me to developing/gamifying these areas of the app as these seem to be seen as the most important features. However in Question 6, the question asks the users what features they use the least. This mainly included: Broadcasts (50%) and WhatsAppWeb (25%) to have the highest percentages. Therefore this means that either the features are...

Whenever I gave used WhatsApp, I have always believed that the most important feature is the chat. This makes sense as the chat is a messaging application however, it does include some features that most messaging apps do not include. It isn't a basic texting app, you are able to call and video call through your WI-FI or data connection, send media to other contacts, update your status/profile picture like popular social media apps, search for messages easily etc. Moreover, you have the ability to broadcast messages which other applications cannot do/do not have the option for. Unfortunately, from experience I haven't seen many people use this feature. Therefore, I prioritise these features as follows: 1) Chat 2) Group Chat 3) Sending media/files/texts 4) Calling/Video Calling 5) Search 6) Call log 7) Broadcast 8) Status

I decided to gamify the popular application 'WhatsApp'. At this present time the WhatsApp application has the following features: Chat - List of conversations are shown If the image next to a conversation is clicked that image pops up bigger with the conversation title. If a contact is clicked you are able to message, call, video call or have more info using this shortcut. If a group or broadcast's image is clicked the user is only able to message or view more information. If you hold down a contact's conversation you are able to: Add Shortcut View Contact Mark as unread Pin the conversation Delete the conversation Mute the conversation Archive the conversation When a contact is clicked the following options are displayed: View Contact Media Search Mute notifications Wallpaper More ----> Block, Clear chat, Email chat, Add shortcut When a group is clicked the following options are displayed:  Group info Group media Search Mute notif...