The simplest way to stop your AI project from faltering? Focus on the fun!

Who doesn't like fun? The answer: not very many people at all. In fact, an overwhelming 97% of Americans think that having fun is important. Shocking stat, I know.

Okay, so 'people like fun' isn't the most jaw-dropping insight that I can give you. But it goes deeper. Fun isn't just, well, fun – it's also a crucial factor in how well we learn and remember things. 

If you had favorite teachers at school, they were probably the ones who made learning interactive and enjoyable. I doubt many of us have fond memories of the teachers who forced us to bury our noses in a textbook while they boringly recited facts and figures.

A lot of research suggests that yes, making learning fun actually does improve educational outcomes.

If students are having fun, they’re naturally more engaged and less likely to give up and zone out of a lesson. The same can be said for your customers, staff, or any other user; if they’re engaged, they’re less likely to abandon whatever journey you’ve put them on.

That's why making your digital humans fun and authentic can build rapport, trust, and loyalty among your users. You become memorable, much like that teacher from your childhood.

It’s something our CEO Danny touched upon when writing about why our digital humans look humanlike, but not photorealistic. It’s about trust, but also the expectation of enjoyment.

So let’s focus on the fun. Because not only can it improve user engagement, it might be the missing ingredient in your latest AI project – the thing that takes it from faltering to fantastic.

And let’s start with the science.

Understanding the affective filter

In the 1980s, linguistics expert Stephen Krashen found that three variables can have a major impact on how well someone is able to learn a second language: 

• Motivation
• Self-confidence 
• Anxiety 

He called this the 'affective filter.' Essentially, when a student experiences negative emotions, such as nervousness or social anxiety, it creates a mental blockade that prevents second-language acquisition. On the other hand, positive learning environments evoke calming emotions that help people absorb languages better. 

Krashen's theories have been proven in multiple studies over the years. One found that 80% of students believed they were able to improve their language acquisition when they felt relaxed and teachers provided fun, encouraging learning experiences. 

But the affective filter isn't just applicable to language acquisition. There's evidence that fun helps people stay engaged across a range of scenarios, including learning and development in the workplace. 

For example, a Warwick University study found that happy employees were 12% more productive than the average. Meanwhile, other research has shown that fun activities give staff more confidence to try new things and improve their skills. 

Clearly, creating fun experiences doesn't just raise a smile, it raises people's learning, development, and engagement to the next level.

Let the games begin!

So, what are some great ways to make experiences more fun? Going by the stats, gamification is a slam dunk. Simulation games, for instance, have been shown to: 

• Boost confidence by 20% 
• Increase 'declarative' knowledge (facts and figures) by 11%
• Enhance procedural knowledge (practical skills) by 14%
• Improve learning retention by 9%

What's more, gamification can improve company productivity by an impressive 50%, according to Zippia figures. 

We appreciate that's a lot of stats to digest. However, the upshot is that making experiences more gamified is important if you want people to not only learn from them, but also remember them. 

If an experience isn't enjoyable or memorable, then it's too easy to switch off or disengage. That can be fatal for your brand or organization, especially in crowded digital spaces where customers are just a button-click away from leaving.

When it comes to digital human experiences, there’s not one use case that couldn’t be improved by this addition of fun. In eCommerce, making customers more confident in their purchasing decisions; at events, helping audiences feel more engaged; in sales staff training, helping reps improve their knowledge and skills; even in our state and local government, digital humans have a personality and show off their soft skills. 

Don't worry, be happy 

Funny is always fun, but fun doesn’t always have to be funny. And you don’t have to hire an in-house comedian (or be founded by Ryan Reynolds) to put a smile on your customers’ faces.

A recent Oracle study found that making customers smile can have huge benefits for companies. 

For example, consumers are more willing to tell their friends and family about a brand (80%), and they're also more likely to become a repeat customer (80%) or choose the brand over its competition (72%). 

The good news is almost nine in ten (89%) business leaders recognize that there's value in this. 

However you choose to make your customer smile – whether it’s a full on belly laugh or a glint of genuine delight – just make sure you’re doing something to up their enjoyment. It might be just what your engagement rates need.

Digital humans and the containment conundrum

When we talk about engagement, we’re not just talking about how much people enjoy speaking to a digital human. It’s a great benefit, but I also have to mention digital containment – the likelihood that an AI assistant will solve the customer’s needs and not have to hand over to a real person.

Can the interaction be “contained” in a digital channel if it’s more fun?

Well, if the customer isn’t engaged and isn’t having their problem solved, they’re much more likely to hit the leave button. Chatbots have been struggling with digital containment for more than a decade.

With digital humans, what we’ve seen for a major telco is a 15% increase in containment rate AND a 15% increase in customer satisfaction. Their customers’ willingness to use the digital human assistant again jumped by a third.

For a major brand like this, the results aren’t just more fun, but a step change in how customers experience their entire brand.

Fun and functional digital humans

When did a machine last make you genuinely smile? Isn’t it interesting that a few years ago that question would be incomprehensible?

But today, digital human projects are succeeding because they are fun and functional.

The fun makes the functional better.

Take our partners in Saudi Arabia, Masdr. The team exhibited at Leap this year with Labeeb, a digital human on an impressive, lifesize LED display. Visitors to the stand could draw a picture and have Labeeb try to guess what they drew.

Fun can even come from having an interaction with a digital human that’s highly engaging, personable, responsive, and likable. Staff training isn’t famed for being fun, but when the person you're training with can crack a smile and perhaps rib you for an imperfect answer, you’re making the experience (and the results) better.

Ultimately, it all comes back to Krashen's affective filter: motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety. 

If you develop experiences that give your users the confidence and motivation to fully engage with what you're offering, they'll stick with it – and stick with you.

So this is your green light: don't be afraid to be fun when building a digital human AI. Your customers, clients, and employees will thank you for it.