Aesthetics

Thinking through the contingencies of failure for an interaction is an exercise of empathy with the user. Whether in videogames or more traditional UIs, framing development in a mindset of failure allows you to get in the head of the typical user and design accordingly.

Valve’s implementation of achievements in Left 4 Dead demonstrate 4 primary uses of the achievement framework: to be Instructive, to be Prescriptive, to be Demarcative, and to act as Incentive. Looking at how achievements shape the gameplay experience, there’s a lot that can be applied in the context of social web applications, too.