Tailored Gamification in Manual Assembly: System Implementation and Study Design for Long-Term Evaluation

Abstract

The potential of gamified didactic scenarios in promoting intrinsic motivation, readiness to learn, and long-term efficiency improvements has been extensively confirmed in numerous studies. While there is abundant research on gamification in educational contexts and digital learning environments, its transferability to industrial contexts—particularly manual assembly processes—remains insufficiently explored. Employees in manufacturing environments characterized by short product life cycles, single-piece production, and increasing product variants continuously engage in agile adaptation and learning processes, making adaptively designed gamified assistance systems highly promising. Traditional rigid assistance systems initially improve process reliability and facilitate standardized training phases, yet they can lead to increased cognitive strain, reduced autonomy, and declining motivation over the long term. Intensive, rigid assistance in particular may provoke cognitive overload due to constant information overload and restricted freedom of action. Our preliminary studies further indicate that, although gamified elements initially boost performance, sustained use may similarly result in increased stress and diminished autonomy. To address these challenges, an adaptive assistance system incorporating a flexible gamification platform was developed and practically implemented within a medium-sized enterprise (SME) specializing in the assembly of safety-critical components. This system enables employees to individually select and activate gamification elements such as point systems, levels, badges, and leaderboards. Furthermore, an adaptive information provision mechanism was integrated, dynamically reducing information complexity and density, thereby promoting targeted learning processes and sustainably mitigating cognitive strain. For comprehensive evaluation of the system’s long-term effects on employee motivation, autonomy, process quality, and efficiency, a mixed-methods approach combining both quantitative and qualitative techniques was adopted. Objective interaction data (e.g., task completion times, error rates) are continuously captured through real-time behavioural logging, while subjective aspects (system usability, perceived cognitive load, motivation, technology acceptance, and perceived autonomy) are assessed through standardized Likert-scale questionnaires. This paper describes in detail the conceptual framework, practical implementation, and study design. It systematically explores how individually tailored gamification influences employee motivation, autonomy, process quality, and efficiency improvements within manual assembly tasks.