Augmented reality (AR) shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, we still lack a profound understanding about how and through what aspects AR shopping solutions can support purchase decisions. While traditional online shopping platforms largely offer product reviews as ancillary information that help customers evaluate products, we can observe that AR shopping environments largely lack such potentially useful cues while products are being viewed as 3D representations. Therefore, grounded in cognitive load and information richness theory, the present study seeks to move towards a design concept for embedding contextual ancillary information (e.g., product reviews, star ratings, etc.) in AR shopping environments. We derive 5 design principles for embedding ancillary information within AR representations that aim to foster users' decision-making (e.g., decision comfort, informativeness, etc.) while accounting for potential drawbacks of embedding heightened degrees of digital information in AR environments (i.e., cognitive load). Finally, we discuss a prototypical implementation and outline plans for an experimental evaluation of the prototype.
As cities worldwide face unprecedented challenges including rapid urbanisation, climate change, and growing social inequities, digital platforms have emerged as critical environments for engaging citizens in participatory planning. Within such platforms, gamification approaches are adopted to increase engagement. However, no comprehensive assessment of these platforms exists. Through a scoping review of 46 platforms from academic and grey literature, we identify four categories: (1) location-based mobile apps for geospatial data collection, (2) web-based participatory mapping systems, (3) 3D and Virtual reality environments, and (4) AI-powered image generation systems. Our thematic analysis across six dimensions - (a) purpose in urban planning, (b) participation mode, (c) accessibility and reach, (d) location, (e) data dimensions, and (f) gamification features - reveals critical gaps: while feedback mechanisms appear almost universally, advanced gamification remains limited. In addition, many platforms fail to progress beyond prototypes and lack incentives for sustained participation and collecting community-informed data for emergent fields of urban planning, such as the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS). Technical requirements often contradict inclusivity goals, potentially excluding underrepresented populations. Based on these findings, we present 19 design guidelines addressing engagement sustainability, inclusive accessibility, balanced gamification implementation and support of community-based planning. This comprehensive framework informs developers, planners, and researchers in creating more effective gamified digital platforms for democratic and sustainable urban futures.
In this work-in-progress paper, we present a reflective design account of the heritage computer game Les lumieres de Val-Jalbert (The Lights of Val-Jalbert), currently in development. A part of our research-creation project, this realistic 3D game seeks to offer an engaging, interactive pre-visit experience of the Val-Jalbert Historical Village as it was in 1959, an abandoned ghost town. The design draws on historical facts, testimonials, and faithful references to the real site, alongside the authors' interpretation. Employing Champion's theory of "culturally significant presence", we analyse the first-iteration design of the narrative, visuals, and projected experience to guide future development and contribute to discussions on digital and virtual gamification in cultural heritage.
Metacognition is a key component of self-regulated learning, yet students often approach reflective activities as routine requirements rather than opportunities for exploration. An open, exploratory mindset can deepen metacognitive reflection, and the curiosity and flexibility of a playful stance may help scaffold this process. This study investigates whether gamification can elicit a playful stance toward reflection, thereby shaping the experiential quality of metacognitive prompts. Two types of gamified prompt designs-one structured ( ludus) and one open-ended (paidia)-were compared to a non-gamified control in an online flipped classroom platform. The study also examines whether trait curiosity moderates the relationship between the design condition and perceived playfulness. A between-subjects quasi-experimental design was used across three university courses, with curiosity measured before and playfulness after exposure. By focusing on experiential outcomes rather than learning performance, this work isolates the affective mechanism through which gamification may influence reflective learning. Findings from this work-in-progress study aim to clarify whether gamified reflection designs evoke playfulness and how learner traits shape this experience. More broadly, this work supports efforts to design educational technologies that not only motivate learners but also cultivate the reflective mindsets essential for self-directed learning.
Digital Educational Escape Rooms (DEERs) have gained increasing attention as an engaging form of game-based learning. However, existing solutions often rely on web-based point-and-click interfaces that offer limited immersion, or on virtual reality implementations that require substantial development effort and specialized hardware. This work introduces a DEER-Toolkit integrated into a self-developed 2D multiplayer dungeon crawler game environment, designed to balance accessibility, interactivity, and educational value. The toolkit provides configurable puzzle mechanics, collaborative gameplay elements, and lightweight learning analytics to support facilitation and post-play reflection. To illustrate its capabilities, a short cybersecurity-themed DEER scenario is presented, designed for one to three players and playable within ten minutes. The demonstrator highlights how narrative framing, interactive object-based puzzles, and adaptive scaffolding can support active learning in a compact format suitable for classroom or workshop use. Future work focuses on developing authoring tools to enable educators to create their own scenarios and on evaluating the toolkit's effectiveness in authentic teaching contexts.
