Thesis topics

The Gamification Research Group at the Chair of Information Systems at the University of Bamberg focuses on research and teaching in the area of digital games and the application of technologies and methods from the games industry in business and society (e.g., gamification, virtual goods, virtual & augmented reality).

In cooperation with the Nürnberg Institut für Marktentscheidungen e. V. (NIM), we are offering a Master’s thesis with the working title:
„Gamified shopping apps: An investigation into design archetypes and their habit-forming mechanisms“.

Background:

Companies in online and offline retail are increasingly relying on the use of shopping apps (e.g., LidlPlus, Rewe App, Mein dm, Temu App, Amazon Shopping, McDonald’s App) to strengthen customer loyalty and provide special features (e.g., mobile payment, virtual try-on, product scanner). Most of these apps deliberately employ gamification features to enhance user experience, reward customer loyalty, and influence individual purchasing behavior. Despite the increasing use of these strategies, little is known about the various design patterns employed, how apps differ depending on the use case (e.g., brick-and-mortar vs. online retail), and how design is utilized to influence consumer behavior.
This Master’s thesis aims to systematically identify design archetypes of gamified shopping apps and structure their behavior-influencing mechanisms based on established theories of motivational and behavioral psychology. The findings should contribute both to theory development and to the practical design of effective shopping experiences.

Approach and Objectives:

• Development of an analysis framework based on theories of motivational and behavioral psychology and fundamentals of utilitarian and hedonic information system design

• Systematic screening and analysis of existing shopping apps, supplemented by a two-stage cluster analysis

• In-depth analysis and interpretation of differences among existing solutions and theoretical interpretation of these differences with reference to motivational and behavioral psychology theories

Your Profile:

• Enrolled in a Master's program at the University of Bamberg (e.g., Information Systems, International Information Systems Management)

• Strong interest in motivational and behavioral psychology as well as gamification

• Experience in e-commerce/m-commerce or in designing apps or websites

• You have already read into relevant theories and papers (e.g., [1], [2], [3], [4], [5])

What We Offer:

• Close supervision and integration into our research group

• Support in disseminating the results of your thesis in research and industry, e.g., by assisting in presenting your results to companies or developing a scientific paper based on your thesis