16 validated gamification mechanics mapped to HEXAD orientations. Start with what you're trying to achieve, or start with a type. Either way, the evidence layer tells you how confident to be.
Choose your goal
What are you trying to improve?
Select a design goal. The mechanics most likely to help — and the orientations they serve — will appear below.
Recommended mechanics
Choose an orientation
Select a motivational orientation
See which mechanics research suggests are likely to resonate — and how confident the evidence is.
Full reference
All 16 validated mechanics
Filter by type or confidence. Click any tile to expand evidence notes, cautions, and examples.
16 mechanics
Philanthropist
Socialiser
Free Spirit
Achiever
Player
Disruptor
strong
secondary
On the evidence: these mappings are drawn from peer-reviewed HEXAD research — primarily Tondello et al. (2016), Krath & von Korflesch (2021), Santos et al. (2021), and domain replications in health and enterprise. High confidence means the relationship recurs across multiple studies. Moderate means direction is supported but effect sizes are small or context-sensitive. No mapping should be treated as a deterministic rule — use as probabilistic guidance, test with your actual users, and iterate.