It's all just fun and games...

I was just sitting her thinking about what it would be like if my job was a video game.  …I have to work right now, I’ve almost earned a power up.  Once I get a power up, then I will qualify for an extra 15 minutes of lunch time and one vacation day.  I’m so close – don’t interrupt me. … It would be kind of cool.

Technology Business Research writes a Business Intelligence Software Vendor Benchmark twice a year and on September 18 they reported that business intelligence software could approach spending up to $40 billion by 2018.  What they think will be a major reason for this will be the clients moving from stand-alone tools to packaged BI applications and analytics apps which complement their own business applications.  (Read Article.)  The greatest factor in the selection for the product is usability.  The features are no good if they will not be accessed by the business personas fulfilling processes. 

The silo effect is becoming monumental despite the Internet of Things (IoT) because the last two years alone, businesses have generated more data than we saw in the previous 60 years.  Trying to determine who is creating the data, who is capturing the data, and how it is stored is the major hurdle for any good business analytics product aiming to tear down the silos and level the information exchange thus, enabling the business decision making process.  The data itself can be structured, like columns in an excel sheet or unstructured like emails in an employees’ inbox, however, it is all necessary to see a whole picture of the work being conducted by a business.

What is the real game changer? In my opinion, it will be Gamification.  I like how Wikipedia puts it, “Gamification techniques strive to leverage people's natural desires for competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism, and closure.”  Essentially it will turn your business dashboard into a game that you love to play.  Instead of ease of use or usability, it’s one step further – it’s fun. Employees will want to figure out how to do things faster to get more points, get bonuses, and collect certifications because their gaming dashboard will reward them with that brain stimulation of being on a leader board or receiving company gift cards, etc.  Types of rewards include points, achievement badges or levels, the filling of a progress bar, and providing the user with virtual currency.

Let’s look at an example of why this will have a profound effect on our business community using Company A and Company B.  Company A is not impressed with letting games into their work environment, but they are struggling with information silos and would like to solve the problem using a dashboard of business analytics.  Company B loves the idea of giving a fun environment to its employees and looks for the dashboard analytics but with a gaming feel to it.  Both companies make the selection that makes the most sense to their organization.  But, Company B seems to have a lot less problems with adoption of the product.  In fact, people seem to be staying late to finish up tutorials and earn certifications.  Two of the employees in one department have already started to compete on a leaderboard and managers seem to be passing out more compliments than instruction.  When a product involves some sort of brain stimulation, it helps to push the player to get more.  Not to mention, most children are growing up in this environment.  According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 99% of boys, ages 12–17 and 94% of girls in the same age range play video games.  Eighty percent play five or more different genres, with racing, puzzles, sports, and action being the most common.  (Check it out.) Imagine recruiting for the business!  The business intelligence community is about to explode and from the look of it - work is going to offer a whole new way to look at challenges.