Evaluation of a gamified intervention for eco-driving: A pilot study

Stephens, Richard

Abstract

ᴥ ABSTRACT. L'eco-driving è uno stile di guida del veicolo che riduce il consumo di energia, mentre la gamification si riferisce all'uso di tecniche di gioco in contesti non di gioco per motivare il coinvolgimento dell'utente. In questo studio è stato valutato un intervento di eco-guida gamificato basato su un'app per smartphone. Gli effetti dell'utilizzo dell'app sui punteggi dei parametri di guida ecologica nell'arco di 3 settimane di guida sono stati confrontati in quattro condizioni: Controllo (C1); Educazione (C2), Gamification (E1); Gamification + Educazione (E2). Le esperienze degli utenti suggeriscono che il sistema di punteggio dell'app è stato percepito come affidabile ed equo e i dati emersi suggeriscono che un approccio gamificato che utilizza un'app per smartphone può incoraggiare efficacemente la guida ecologica, con benefici statisticamente significativi. Un intervento di questo tipo ha il vantaggio di essere relativamente economico, dato che si basa sulla tecnologia degli smartphone esistente e ampiamente disponibile ma si rendono necessarie ulteriori ricerche con un campione più ampio per verificare che gli effetti mostrati siano effettivamente affidabili. ᴥ SUMMARY. Eco-driving is a style of vehicle driving that reduces energy consumption, while gamification refers to use of game techniques in non-game contexts to motivate user engagement. A gamified eco-driving intervention based on a smartphone app was evaluated. In a mixed methods approach, effects of using the app on eco-driving parameter scores over 3 weeks of driving were compared across four conditions: Control (C1), Education (C2), Gamification (E1), Gamification + Education (E2). Users were also invited to share their experiences in a focus group. Comparing across the four conditions, effect were null. However, combining the control and user groups showed a benefit of using the app for overall score, harsh braking score, speeding score and leaderboard position. User experiences suggest the app scoring system was perceived as reliable and fair. Suggestions for improvements included redesigning the leaderboard and balancing intrinsic with extrinsic rewards for longer term engagement. These data suggest a gamified approach using a smartphone app may effectively encourage eco-driving, with statistically significant benefits of regular reflection on eco-driving scores. Such an intervention has the advantage of being relatively economical, given that it is based on existing, widely available smartphone technology. Nevertheless, further research with a larger sample is required to verify that the effects shown are reliable, and to improve psychological understanding of gamification applied to eco-driving.

Citation

Stephens, R. (2024). Evaluation of a gamified intervention for eco-driving: A pilot study. BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.26387/bpa.2024.00006

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 11, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Aug 25, 2024
• Publication Date: Aug 25, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 3, 2024
• Journal: BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin
• Print ISSN: 0006-6761
• Publisher: Joints Psychometrics
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.26387/bpa.2024.00006
• Keywords: Driving; Eco-driving; Gamification; User-experience; Speeding
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/890789