Every time a new generation enters the workforce, we complain about them. Gen X frustrated the Boomers; we all rolled our eyes when Millennials joined our teams; now we have Gen Zs… But this time, it turns out that, unlike any previous generation, this current one really is differently motivated—in scientifically significant ways. And those ways greatly impact the types of learning experiences they demand.  

Using an empirically-based taxonomy of human needs and desires, we will not complain about the kids these days, but will anticipate what they want differently from learning experiences. From this insight, we will be equipped to design gameful learning experiences that they will enjoy, engage with, and appreciate. 

Because, as learning experience designers, it is up to us to design for them, not ourselves. We learned in traditional classrooms and thought PowerPoint was pretty cool when it came out. These digital natives have a completely different learning history and Motivation Profile.

This session will challenge your assumptions and help you design with intention, clarity, and empathy for those who are not like you. (You can still roll your eyes.) 


 

Jonathan Peters, PhD, is the Chief Motivation Officer at Sententia Gamification. He has spent over a decade studying the science and art of motivation and persuasion. As a speaker, he has helped audiences from Melbourne, Australia to Augusta, Maine more effectively communicate with their customers and team-members. With Sententia, he applies his knowledge and experience to make learning more enticing, engaging, and encouraging through gamification. With Sententia Gamification, he applies his knowledge and experience to make learning more enticing, engaging, and encouraging through gamification.

Jonathan is the co-author of the forthcoming book Deliberate Fun: A Purposeful Application of Game Mechanics to Learning Experiences, and he has authored four other books under his name and ghostwritten 57 other books. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, though he lives in Austin, TX.

A purveyor of persuasion and bourbon connoisseur, Jonathan is constantly curious about why people do what they do.