Gamification for safer, more sustainable mobility
AI technology can engage and inspire
Road crashes are a leading cause of death and severe injuries across the globe. Road transportation represents close to 15% of total global greenhouse emissions. Motivating people to change their driving behaviors to fight road crashes and climate impact is a real challenge in mobility. Now, with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), mobility providers are seeing how gamification can influence lasting driver behavior change and boost customer engagement.
It’s time for action
Road traffic crashes result in the deaths of approximately 1.3 million people around the world each year and leave between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries. For mobility companies and organizations with at-work drivers, managing road safety is critical. Primarily, it saves lives. But it also reduces associated costs including repairs, lost productivity, damage, and insurance.
In addition, sustainability is fast climbing the ladder of corporate priorities. The United Nations has called for urgent environmental action globally. And the development of new sustainability reporting standards is underway. Not only that, but stakeholders are actively seeking companies with more sustainable products and services. Climate change is the biggest challenge humans face, and the pressure is on for all organizations to help influence greener behaviors. The question is how can organizations influence safer, more sustainable driving behaviors?
Behavior can be difficult to change
Behavior change is complex. It can be difficult to encourage people to change their ways and adopt new habits. Successfully changing behavior involves ensuring people understand the importance of the changes. Not just that but helping them build the confidence to make – and sustain – changes.
Using gamification tools such as points, leader boards, and rewards in non-gaming contexts can successfully drive behavior change. It’s used extensively in areas such as health, diet, and fitness to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Successful behavior change in mobility
Salzburg Research investigated how motivational techniques using data from a personal mobility tracker could be used to influence citizens’ personal mobility. They presented the example of a European research project SimpliCITY, which used behavioral incentives and playful functions to promote cycling in a city. Users received reward points for activities such as using regional offers, solving quizzes and puzzles, and for using the mobility tracker while cycling. The app also used “nudging” to help influence behavior without threats or punishment.
The conclusion? That the results were encouraging about the effectiveness of using nudging and gamification techniques. Also, that people tend to change their behavior when a social group with which there is a strong identification exhibits a certain behavior.
Japan is at the forefront of lifestyle gamification
Respected globally for its technological innovations, Japan is taking gamification to the next level. To accelerate the transition to a decarbonized lifestyle, the Japanese government’s Ministry of Environment established the “Green Life Point” project to encourage consumers to select more environmentally friendly products and services.
The Japanese government’s innovative approach is to support the efforts of companies and local governments in influencing change. They are therefore subsidizing costs such as planning, development, and coordination for the organizations issuing Green Life Points for consumers. The aim is to ultimately create a system that evaluates environmental considerations as a whole.
Gamification is already popular in mobility
Gamification, scoring, and in-app feedback functions are all important features for mobility providers. Now, with the latest AI technology, insurers, fleets, telematics providers and risk management companies recognize how gamification is a new way to achieve business goals. For example, gamification can help boost customer engagement and stickiness. It can also facilitate better understanding of customers and enable organizations to tailor products accordingly.
Gamification can also influence safer and cleaner driving behavior. This, in turn, can help companies preserve vehicle life, reduce repair and incident costs, and maintain positive brand image. In addition, gamification makes it possible for companies to engage their ecosystem of business partners. For example, enabling customers to earn points that can be redeemed with a partner company is a great way to strengthen existing business relationships.
Identifying risk is the starting point
The idea of launching a program with gamification features might seem daunting but with AI it doesn’t need to be. Using cloud-based AI and analytics, anyone involved with GPS data can reap the benefits of gamification.
The first step is to identify driver risk and/or climate impact. Without accurate insights into risk or climate impact, organizations cannot identify which drivers to incentivize or reward. At Greater Than, our AI algorithms convert GPS data into crash probability and climate impact. The scores can be visualized via a range of solutions or used as a base for a gamification program that engages and delights customers and supports safety and sustainability programs.
Contact Greater Than or book a meeting with me to learn how your GPS data can be analyzed and incorporated into a gamification solution to suit your needs.
