Comparing the Effects of Gamification to User Engagement in Stress Management Application

Abstract

The increasing accessibility of mobile technology makes it easier for users to use health related applications to combat health issues. In addition to this, gamification has been widely used to increase the engagement between user and application. This study provides an insight into how gamification affects user engagement when using stress management application. Two versions of stress management application were developed, one with gamification element, and the other one without. These two applications were then evaluated by 20 participants using the UES-SF questionnaire, where data on the engagement level of the participants were collected and analysed. The results showed that all participants (100%) prefer the application with gamification to help them manage their stress level better.  Statistical tests done revealed that the stress management application with gamification was also found to be significantly more engaging compared to stress management application without gamification (given p ≤ .05). A Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test indicated that gamified stress management application was rated more favourably than the non-gamified stress management application, with Z score = -3.92, and p = 0.00. The results demonstrated the significance of gamification in increasing user engagement among users when using stress management application.