Goal-based manufacturing gamification: Bolt tightening work redesign in the automotive assembly line

Recent productivity-oriented technologies (e.g., industrial robots, assistive wearable tools) have more focused on production capacity rather than workers roles and experiences in the manufacturing process, and as a consequence, task have become simple and repetitive which is detrimental for work motivation. Researches have been conducted to improve worker’s motivation and experience during this monotonous work (e.g., bolt tightening), and gamification has got attention as a useful way to improve worker’s intrinsic motivation by augmenting playful goal and feedback to previous demotivating context. The present study aims at examining the effect of gamification for improving the worker’s flow and emotional experience which are related with intrinsic motivation in the workplace. An empirical study was carried out by five participants. They were instructed to tighten bolts in three different interface conditions (e.g., default condition; reactive condition; and gamification condition). During the task, their flow level and emotional state were assessed by experience sampling method (ESM). The benefits of the manufacturing gamification in the worker’s flow experience and positive emotion are also discussed.