Idea Lab

This week we're running a private beta test of the Beanstockd application internally; members of the Beanstockd editorial, business development and tech teams will be competing against each other as they take the game for a test drive. The beta test will give us quick, snapshot results on user engagement with the app, which will prepare us for results gathered from upcoming full-scale beta tests.

We've split Beanstockd's 25+ members into two teams (Team Wigglesworth v. Team Apley) which are competing against each other over the next five days for a grand prize (baked goods from New York's finest green bakery and a special prize for the individual with the most points at the end of the competition period.) Post-competition, we'll run focus groups and survey all players on their user experience.

We'll glean important initial data from this mini-test and answers to some of our biggest questions such as:

1. Which is stronger incentive to play: material reward, team motivation, or competition against people you know?
2. How's the user interface? Is it intuitive and informative? Are there any elements that are confusing or distracting?
3. What is the ideal length of the competition period?
4. Did players feel inclined to cheat? Did they cheat?
5. Did the game itself incentivize players to actively incorporate new, environmentally conscious actions into their daily lives?

The results will be in next week. Stay tuned for Angela's report on the results of our beta test.

I'll leave you with an incredible trailer video for our game created by the guys behind BeatweenCreative.