Avaliação: Tendencias en la educación de lenguas en un mundo digital – Designing gamification: using heuristic evaluation to ensure effective results

This classroom-based study investigates the use of heuristic evaluation in the design of a gamified didactic intervention. We used heuristic evaluation in the design of the intervention and implemented it to six different groups of adult students of English as a Foreign Language. We also modified or eliminated one single element of the design in each implementation to study whether it had any significant effect on the level of engagement shown after the activity. The main aim of this study is to explore how heuristic evaluation can be used during the design phase to detect and correct possible flaws and ensure its effectiveness. Our assumption was that applying heuristic evaluation, we would identify any flaws in the design or applicability of our system and improve or correct it early in the process. A second assumption was that, provided an adequate design, assisted by heuristic evaluation, the presence or absence of one element would not affect the results as regards the effects on the levels of engagement. The primary data collection instrument was a questionnaire eliciting the learner’s levels of engagement followed by individual interviews, both conducted on completion of each intervention. We observed a significant increase in the level of engagement in all interventions, but no differences were found in the levels of engagement between groups. We conclude that the process of heuristic evaluation of the design helped create a complex and well-adjusted gamification proposal that fitted our objectives.

• Gamification
• gamification design
• heuristic evaluation
• engagement
• EFL