Research
We strive for both academic excellence and practical relevance, positioning our work within the field of Information Systems specifically in the community of the Association for Information Systems Special Interest Group on Human-Computer Interaction (AIS SIG HCI).
A core area of our research explores the design and impact of gamified, hedonic, and immersive information systems and their potential to address pressing economic and societal challenges. We also examine how the increasing integration of digital games and gamification into everyday life influences economic, social, technological and cultural domains.
Our research is structured into the following four focus areas:
Games and gamification in product and service innovation:
This area focuses on creating new design knowledge to optimise the development of gamified and hedonistic information systems (e.g. gamified apps, serious games) and researching the psychological and behavioural impact of such approaches in surveys, laboratory experiments and field experiments. This research addresses current challenges in business and society and supports the development of new product and service innovations (e.g. in medicine, mobility, education).
Games in culture, business and society:
This focus area examines the cultural, social and economic impact of current trends in the gaming industry (e.g. VR/AR/XR, metaverse, virtual goods) as well as the increasing use of digital games and game-based approaches in organisations and everyday life. A central goal of this research is to better understand developments and to support organisations and policy makers in making strategic decisions (e.g. on changing customer expectations, social challenges or regulatory issues).
Gamification for sport and health:
In this area, we focus on researching the potential of technologies, methods and approaches from game design (including gamification, VR/AR/XR) to support prevention, diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation and care with the aim of developing innovative game-based approaches for sport, health and well-being and using digital solutions to meet current challenges in healthcare.
Gamification and the future of work:
In this research focus area, we investigate the application of technologies, methods and findings from game design (including gamification, game design thinking) to overcome current challenges in the context of the future of work and value creation. We place a particular focus on analysing the influence and potential of gamification in cooperation between people as well as people and intelligent technologies (e.g. robots and AI).
Our research is application-oriented and conducted in close collaboration with partners from industry and society. Through our well-equipped Gameful Innovation Lab, we offer companies an attractive opportunity to collaborate in the development of novel game-based innovations.
Methodologically our research draws on a wide range of qualitative and quantitative approaches including (psychometric) surveys, design science research, controlled experiments, field experiments, qualitative interviews, and systematic literature reviews.
Current research projects
Research field: Games in culture, economy and society
Research field: Gamification and the future of work
Research field: Games and gamification in product and service innovation
Research projects completed
Our research group moved from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universit?t Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) to the University of Bamberg in February 2025. You can find an overview of our research projects at FAU here.