More than the Sum of its Parts – Towards Identifying Preferred Game Design Element Combinations in Learning Management Systems

Gamification refers to the use and combination of game design elements in a non-entertainment-based context. Despite the preliminary success of gamification, nowadays the concept faces some criticism. Most gamification projects do not consider context characteristics and implement elements without considering user needs. This can be observed in the inconsistent combination of elements and the varying results of research studies. Consequently, we aim to identify which element combinations users of learning management systems prefer. To achieve our goal, we plan to use a conjoint analysis which allows us to evaluate different element combinations. Based on our results, we expect to better understand the meaning of elements, and therefore, how gamification motivates users. As a practical contribution, we provide insights on how to combine elements against the backdrop of user preferences and context characteristics. Our theoretical contribution is to be able to explain users’ motivational structures by analyzing specific elements and combinations.