Using Serious Games for Idea Assessment in Service Innovation

Serious games are an innovative way for tackling design objectives in a variety of IS contexts. In this paper, we explore the use of an online serious game for idea assessment in companies, an approach that is not covered in scientific literature so far. Thereby, we contribute to understanding (i) whether serious games can add to overcoming challenges in the area of idea assessment, and, (ii) whether there are potential biases of the game towards more incremental or radical ideas when played by teams differing in terms of their members’ personality profile. In a first step, we employ the serious game Buy-a-Feature and run a qualitative pre-study under real-life conditions at a German Financial Services provider. Next, we conduct a lab experiment in which 250 participants prioritize a portfolio of 16 ideas by playing the game. Our results demonstrate high levels of engagement amongst the participants, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use and confidence with the games’ outcomes. Moreover, teams with a high average score of the personality trait “Openness to Experience” exhibit a bias towards radical ideas, while all other team formations showed rather balanced results. Based on our results we reflect on managerial implications for the use of the game for idea assessment, particularly in a service innovation context.