Using Motivation, Emotion, and Best Practices to Design a Mobile Application for Children

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2017-12

Type of Work

Department

University of Baltimore. College of Arts and Sciences

Program

University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information Architecture

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.

Abstract

The following paper presents the evaluation of a mobile application, MotoRobos, that was designed utilizing motivation research, emotion research, and best design practices. MotoRobos will be used by parents and potentially teachers to help motivate their children and students to complete tasks and/or behave. Currently, most applications focus primarily on extrinsic motivators (rewards). Research has shown that when extrinsic motivators are the sole reason that individuals are completing tasks, it is highly likely that motivation will diminish over time. Using intrinsic motivators in conjunction with extrinsic motivators, however, provides individuals with long-lasting motivation, particularly when those motivators allow individuals to express creativity. The proposed mobile application will not only allow children to unlock rewards for completing tasks, but will encourage them to use those rewards creatively. The opportunity to be creative will instill intrinsic motivation, which will increase the likelihood of continued use.