Fabula rasa: Gamifying a storytelling platform to enhance proactive science communication from TU Delft researchers

This research project proposes a theoretical gamified design of a storytelling platform to engage TU Delft researchers into proactive submission of story ideas to co-create online storytelling for wide audiences. While universities have focused on improving communication with the general public in the past decades, researchers may still find barriers to engage in public communication of science. One of these barriers is proactive media contact, as the scientific community may perceive it as outside of the researchers’ role and subject the “transgressor” to informal peer-based sanctions. By assessing a sample of TU Delft researchers’ attitude towards an online TU Delft non-profit storytelling platform for internal and external communication similar to the target one, response efficacy proved to be the primary variable to motivate TU Delft researchers to engage in co-creation of online storytelling. The findings further confirm existing theories that younger and more intrinsically motivated researchers seem more willing to engage in online storytelling compared to older and more extrinsically motivated peers. The study translated these guidelines into a gamified design based on graph force models that challenge researchers to create tags related to their story, and form connections with peers within the TU Delft. To access these functionalities, TU Delft researchers must register to the platform by submitting a story idea, e.g. related to their researcher or field of study, and be willing to co-create online storytelling if their story is chosen. The design targets different groups of users by balancing the experience through the Octalysis framework, and implementing social points, competitions among faculties and badges. According to an evaluation with the case owner and a gamification expert of the first iteration of the design, rewarding the submission of stories with a network, seem effective in engaging TU Delft researchers to submit story ideas proactively and e
Applied Sciences | Science Communication