Hakoniwa: Enhancing Physical Gamification using Miniature Garden Elements

Gamification has been shown to increase motivation and enhance user experience. Novel research proposes the addition of physicality to otherwise digital gamification elements for increasing their meaningfulness. In this work, we look towards gardens in the context of gamification. Motivated by their positive impact on both, physical and mental health, we investigate whether gamification elements can be represented by miniature garden elements. Based on the rules of Japanese Gardens, we contribute an exploratory framework informing the design of gamified miniature gardens. Building upon this, we realize physical implementations of a waterfall, a sand basin and a water pond reflecting the gamification elements of points and progress. In an online study (N = 102), we investigate the perception and persuasiveness of our prototypes and outline improvements to support further investigations.