The application of behavioral science to product, learning, and engagement design.
Master the science of motivation and see how top experts do it right. Get the free 9-day “Core Drives in the Wild” email sequence here: professorgame.com/WildCD Episode Summary Rob Alvarez dissects three high-profile gamification failures (Disney’s hotel laundry leaderboards, Zynga’s FarmVille, and Yahoo Answers) […]
Wondering if Octalysis fits your challenge? Quick intro chat → professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Joris Beerda, CEO and co-founder of The Octalysis Group, walks through the five-step Octalysis design process and argues that IDEO-style human-centered design produces intuitive but not repeatedly engaging products. He distinguishes […]
Don’t experiment on your own revenue with broken game mechanics. Get our guide “Core Drives in the Wild” to learn how to apply real behavioral science to your product: professorgame.com/WildCD Episode Summary Rob Alvarez attacks the “chocolate-covered broccoli” approach to gamification, arguing that points, […]
Have a product challenge around retention? Quick intro chat → professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Leif Sørensen, founder of Actee, argues that most learning games fail because clients treat them as “magic powder” that can absorb a dozen frameworks at once, and because designers say yes […]
If you’re implementing AI and want to realize that promised ROI, let’s see if Octalysis fits → professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Rob Alvarez argues that AI implementation in 2026 is a behavioral problem and not a technical one, and that most AI rollouts fail because […]
I’ve interviewed hundreds of experts and now lead Engagement Strategy (EU) at TOG. If you want help applying this, start here: professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Clark Aldrich returns to introduce Socratic Cards, a physical deck designed to replace expert-led teaching with peer-driven inquiry. Each card […]
Have a product challenge around retention? Quick intro chat → professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Applying the Octalysis Framework to personal career development, arguing that real-life growth feels invisible because win states are spaced too far apart, and that breaking goals into quests with defined win […]
Recently funded and aiming for sustainable retention? Intro chat (no sales pitch): professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Raúl Mora describes how his Medellín-based research lab survived the pandemic and produced an academic book on second language users as gamers by importing MMORPG team structures into research […]
I’ve interviewed hundreds of experts and now lead Engagement Strategy (EU) at The Octalysis Group. If you want help applying this, start here: professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary Rob Alvarez introduces the Octalysis Framework as a 101 walkthrough, contrasting function-focused design (which assumes people will do […]
If you’re considering gamification for engagement, retention, or loyalty, I’m happy to compare options with you: professorgame.com/chat Episode Summary David Dand, founder of Coreus, argues that gamification has its biggest impact in traditional, unsexy sectors like accountancy and insurance precisely because nobody expects it there. […]