Jan 13, 2020 · 16m · a16z
Superhuman's Founder on How to Move Beyond Gamification
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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
At the a16z Summit, Superhuman founder and CEO Rahul Vohra outlines how enterprise software builders can leverage fundamental game design principles to move beyond superficial gamification and create intrinsically engaging user experiences.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →
The host as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 6.5 Guest disagreement 1.3 The host pushing back 0.0
speaking balance: gold is the host, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 0:28 Rejection of Gamification Status Quo
Rahul firmly rejects traditional gamification as ineffective point-and-badge additions that undermine intrinsic motivation.
Hardest push from the host ▶ 0:00 No Host Pushback (Solo Keynote)This transcript is a solo keynote address by Rahul Vohra without active host dialogue or pushback.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 1:13 Stanford Drawing Experiment InsightRahul educates the audience on psychological research demonstrating how extrinsic rewards cut children's intrinsic drawing motivation in half.
The host holds their own ▶ 0:00 No Host Activity (Solo Keynote)Because the format is a solo talk, the host does not participate or demonstrate expertise during the recording.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | The host as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | The host pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event Title Card: a16z Summit | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | Rahul opens the presentation by dismantling conventional gamification and explaining the science of intrinsic motivation via a 1970s Stanford study. As a solo presentation, host scores are 0. | |
| Introduction to the Five Factors of Game Design | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Rahul teaches the five factors of game design, focusing on creating concrete, achievable, and rewarding goals like Inbox Zero through live onboarding. | |
| Factor 2: Emotions and Principle 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Rahul presents psychological models of emotion (Plutchik's wheel and Junto Institute) to explain how software can intentionally evoke positive nuances like triumph and awe. | |
| Factor 3: Controls and Principle 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | Rahul critiques current software input flaws compared to games like Street Fighter, then demonstrates Superhuman's Time Autocompleter as an engaging interactive toy. | |
| Factor 5: Flow and the Conditions for Optimal Experience | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | Rahul delivers an in-depth breakdown of flow theory and the experience fluctuation model, explaining how raising perceived challenge matches skill to induce flow. | |
| Summary: Seven Principles of Game Design | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Rahul summarizes the seven principles derived from his talk, concluding his keynote presentation. |
Statements from this episode (16)
Rahul Vohra: Superhuman users process their email twice as fast
“Our customers get through their inbox twice as fast as before, reply to their important email sooner, and many see inbox zero for the first time in years.”
Rahul Vohra: Game design is distinct from superficial gamification
“Game design is not gamification. It is not simply taking your product and adding points Levels, trophies, and badges.”
Rahul Vohra: Gamification was a trend ten years ago but failed
“10 years ago, gamification was a big deal, but it didn't work”
Rahul Vohra: Stanford study showed rewards halved children's drawing motivation
“The children who didn't get a reward, they spent 17% of their time drawing. But the children who did get a reward, they only spent eight percent of their time drawing. The reward had halved their motivation.”
Rahul Vohra: Gamification fails because extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation
“They massively undermine intrinsic motivation, and this is also why gamification does not work. When gamification appears to work, it is because the underlying experience is already a game”
Rahul Vohra: No single unifying theory of game design exists
“And as it turns out, there is no unifying theory of game design. To create games, we have to draw upon the art and science of psychology, mathematics, interaction design, and storytelling.”
Rahul Vohra: Superhuman conducts 30-minute live video onboardings for every user
“For each new user, we do a live concierge onboarding. This is a one-to-one, thirty-minute video call with one of our wonderful onboarding specialists.”
Rahul Vohra: Software game design requires concrete, achievable, and rewarding goals
“If you want to make software like it's a game, then create goals that are concrete, achievable, and rewarding.”
Rahul Vohra: The best games leverage emotion as memory's foundation
“The best games create strong emotions, because emotions are the foundation of our memory.”
Rahul Vohra: Superhuman uses inbox zero imagery to evoke love and surprise
“And when you do hit inbox zero, we show you stunning and gorgeous imagery, and we do this to widen our emotional repertoire beyond joy into love and surprise.”
Rahul Vohra: Unresponsive business software is like a broken video game
“Imagine you're playing a game like Street Fighter. It would be incredibly frustrating if the game ignored half your inputs, and your character flopped around, and then you died. But that is the status quo for business software today.”
Rahul Vohra: Best games are built using fun standalone toys
“The best games are made with toys, and then they are fun on multiple levels, the level of the toy and of the game itself.”
Rahul Vohra: Achieving flow requires pairing high challenge with high skill
“To truly feel in flow, you need to perceive a high challenge and match it with high skill.”
Rahul Vohra: Returning to the inbox after archiving emails destroys user flow
“In Gmail, when I archive this email, I end up back on the inbox. I now have to decide what to do next, and I have to do this every single time. This destroys flow.”