Forum Discussion
Gamified Professionalism
Onboarding is the perfect time to build community, and a simple way to do that is with a Meet the Team section. Take it beyond names and titles by gamifying it! Use professional photos, game-style trading cards, or let team members create their own avatars.
Gaming Tip: Let team members design their own avatars! Giving people choice in designing their avatar adds autonomy, belonging, and connection; just like building a character in a video game or Dungeons and Dragons(D&D).
Adding gaming elements into the onboarding process makes onboarding fun, memorable, and personal.
I am proud of this piece because it is a good example of gamified professionalism.
For more examples check out our website at http://www.pinkeducationalsolutions.com
Thank you,
Dr. Natalie
13 Replies
I also had the same question about how far you can take gamification in an onboarding process without making it feel forced or overly complicated. The idea of a Meet the Team section using trading cards or personalized avatars is interesting because it gives new employees something more memorable than simply reading names and job titles. I especially like the idea of allowing team members to create their own avatars, since having some control over how you are represented could make the experience feel more personal and help new people feel connected to the team from the beginning.
I’d be interested to hear how others have implemented similar gaming elements in professional onboarding and what kind of response they received from employees. There seems to be a good opportunity to use simple mechanics such as character profiles, badges, achievements, or interactive introductions without turning the entire onboarding process into a game. The important part seems to be making the experience genuinely useful while adding a little personality and fun. I also wonder whether these approaches work equally well for remote teams, where creating that initial sense of belonging can be more difficult.
The link to the Pink website goes nowhere.
Hi DianaGallant-d7 Thank you for the notice, I will try the link again here. https://www.pinkeducationalsolutions.com/ And we can try this way too. PINK I hope it works this time!
Take care,
Dr. Natalie
Love this, NatalieMak ! Nice work, and thank you for sharing.
Hi KimNewton-2f1c7 , Thank you so much for taking the time leave me a kind message. You are so very welcome! Was there a specific thing you liked about this example?
Take care,
Dr. Natalie
I love the premise behind allowing learners to create their "super hero" avatar that aligns to their role. That is super creative. 🤩
I love this example, too! We have some new team members starting here and I may just borrow this 😃
Hi Noele_Flowers , thank you very much for the kind words it made my day! Yes please feel free to borrow this example! Let me know if you have any question I happy to help!
Dr. Natalie
Hi NatalieMak! This is such a fun idea for onboarding. Do you have any tips for having folks create their own avatars like that?
Hi GingerSwart
Thank you so much for the kind comment and thoughtful question!
My biggest tip when it comes to creating avatars is: always give people the chance to design their own. If you have a designer on staff who can create custom avatars in Photoshop or even Blender (yes, I know it’s more for gaming—but I love it!), that’s a fantastic option.
If that’s not available, tools like ChatGPT can help guide avatar creation, and Articulate also offers great photo libraries.
The key is to avoid creating avatars for people without their input. In video games, we see avatar design becoming more detailed. Think of how video games allow players to customize their avatars. This builds connection, ownership, and pride. We want to bring that same sense of identity and engagement into workplace training.
Plus, for new team members or those viewing the training, seeing personalized avatars AND photos adds a creative, human touch that builds community and helps ease first-day nerves.
Thank you for the question let me know if you have any more!
Dr. Natalie
Thanks for sharing that! Since avatars are so personal, I love the idea of ensuring folks can build their own. I wasn't familiar with Blender, but that looks like an interesting tool to try.
