Design for Motivation

Tactics to ensure that your learners show up & stay

Motivation is the queen of all learning principles – if your learners aren’t motivated to show up, nothing else really matters.

So how do we design to optimise learner motivation? Here’s what the research says, distilled into four themes.

Spoiler: the answer isn’t badging, requirements or penalties.

State [and Restate] the Why

Learners are more motivated when what they’re learning is relevant to both their personal and professional life. They will engage and persist more if they are aware of how the experience impacts both their short and long term pain and aspirations.

Design Tactics

• Complete structured discovery to understand your learners’ pain & aspirations 

• Ensure that your objectives communicate the benefit of your course for your learners as they progress through the experience

Discovery: take time to understand your learners’ why - their pain & aspirations

Praise Effort

Feelings of competence are critical to motivation; learners need regular evidence that they are succeeding as well as guidance on what more they need to do to succeed further. 

The concept of “hard fun” is critical to feelings of competence; the activities you design need to be something that learners are capable of completing, but they should take some time and some support to get there.

Praise of effort - far more than praise of achievement- is proven to increase a sense of competence which in turn drives learner motivation and retention.

Design Tactics

• During the Discovery phase, take time to understand your learners’ ZPD

• Provide regular feedback on effort as well as task performance

Create Motivating Moments

“Situational interest” describes motivation that is activated in the moment, rather than through more long term tactics. It can be effective in catching learners' attention at a critical moment, and driving their motivation through the experience. 

Novelty activates the dopamine system, which drives motivation. Research shows that unexpected activities, resources, interactions and rewards lead to increased levels of dopamine capture learners’ attention and drive motivation (aka the slot machine effect).

Design Tactics

• Mix up the rhythm & delivery of your experience, e.g. by adding a live event or project at a key moment in the course (not just at the end)

• Deliver surprise rewards for effort as learners progress through the course, e.g. a shout-out in the community

Avoid Negative Motivation

“Introjected regulation” is the feeling that you have to do something to avoid feeling guilty or being punished. This is a sort of intrinsic motivation, but one which is external to a learner’s pain and aspirations.

Studies show that negative intrinsic motivation can foster resentment and undermine meaningful engagement with the learning experience.  

Rewards like points for participation and badges can help maintain effort and persistence, but on their own they don’t drive positive intrinsic motivation (some studies suggest that rewards actively undermine motivation by making the reward rather than the experience the value proposition of the experience).

Design Tactics

• Don’t rely on rewards for motivation

• Replace requirements and penalties with praise, motivating moments & a focus on your learners’ why

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I’d love to chat with you about design for motivation in the comments below. Share your comments and questions and say hi at the bottom of the post.

If you want to dig into the theory of learner motivation, here are some key reads:

Cameron, Banko & Pierce, (2001);  Pervasive negative effects of rewards on intrinsic motivation: The myth continues. The Behaviour Analyst, 24(1), 1–44

Deci, Koestner & Ryan (1999); A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation

Dweck, (2007); The perils and promises of praise. Kaleidoscope, Contemporary and Classic Readings in Education, 12, 34–39

Papert, (2002); Hard Fun

Happy designing! 👋

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