Avatar Designs are in the Eye of the Beholder – About Identifying Preferred Avatar Designs in Digital Learning

Gamification focuses on using game-like elements in non-entertainment-based contexts. An example for a game element is an avatar. Although lots of research has focused on analyzing avatars in gamification, little is known about which kind of avatar design users prefer. Especially avatars in gamification that are used as tutors or mentors for learning purposes do not spark the interest of users. Thus, the goal of our paper is to analyze the kinds of avatar designs users of digital learning environments such as learning management systems would prefer. For that purpose, we use a best-worst scaling approach to analyze if the familiarity and shape of avatars determine user preferences in gamification. Our research will contribute to research and practice as it delivers implications about how to design avatars in gamified learning systems. We will enrich theory by getting a better understanding about the general meaning of user-centered avatar designs in gamification.