SUPPORTING THE USAGE OF DIGITAL APPLICATIONS THROUGH PLAYFUL MICROINTERACTIONS

Abstract

E-commerce is a booming industry, especially in South-East Asia. It is important for designers to understand how we can create more enjoyable mobile e-commerce experiences, through the microinteractions which make up its "look-and-feel". This research seeks to understand how “playfulness” can be used to create more enjoyable microinteractions in e-commerce applications. We used the PLEX framework to explore what kinds of playful experiences can be relevant to e-commerce, and what is the impact of these playful experiences on user sentiment towards mobile e-commerce applications. Two stages of research were conducted. The first stage involved exploratory user testing with 5 participants using a mid-fi prototype, to uncover what play experiences were relevant to mobile e-commerce. From this, we found that Completion, Discovery, and Exploration were the most relevant playful experiences to e-commerce. The second stage used a hi-fi prototype to understand the impact of playful microinteractions in different stages of the app. User testing of 3 variations of a prototype was conducted with 15 participants. It was found that playful microinteractions decreased perceptions of enjoyment when placed during the exploration phase and increased perceptions of enjoyment when placed during the checkout phase. The application of these insights is useful for organisations and designers in helping them develop digital products that are more enjoyable, to encourage positive behaviours among their users.