Introduction

Between 2006 and 2012, inspired by early Random Acts of Kindness and Pay-It-Forward movements, I began to wonder:

Could we design appreciation itself — and spread it like a game?

At the time, I was young, idealistic, and working in customer-facing roles that often left me feeling invisible. Yet behind every tired smile at a checkout counter was a universal human need: to feel seen.

Discovery: The Hidden Cost of Being Unappreciated

I interviewed ten service workers — cashiers, bus drivers, and baristas — about job satisfaction and how they felt treated by customers.

• 100% felt under-appreciated by customers
• 80% said appreciation would make them happier at work
• 50% didn’t feel seen as human beings
• 90% said receiving appreciation would motivate them to make a positive difference

Defining the Problem

To ground the insight, I created a persona: Keely Ann Bradburn, a bright, caring retail employee whose emotional labor was rarely recognized. She dreamed of meaning, yet felt unseen.

Problem statement: Workers need to feel appreciated by customers and colleagues to experience purpose, enjoyment, and optimism in their daily work.

Ideation: Designing a Ripple of Human Connection

I framed the challenge with “How Might We” prompts:

• Help people recognize each other’s gifts?
• Create micro-moments of joy that spark more joy?
• Make appreciation contagious — perhaps even exponential?

The concept that emerged: Tokens of Appreciation — small, tangible reminders that gratitude can be both seen and shared.

Prototype 1: Analog Tokens

The first tokens were hand-made from watercolor paper. The front read “Token of Appreciation”; the back offered a light, optional nudge to pass it on.

I distributed 20 tokens to strangers — bus drivers, clerks, tellers — paired with specific, genuine compliments:

“Your smile made my morning.”
“Your earrings are so creative — they inspired me to make my own.”

The effect was electric. Smiles deepened. Eyes lit up. Exchanges became mini-experiments in empathy. However, I found that constant giving required emotional energy — a reminder that human-centered design also depends on sustainability.

Prototype 2: The Workplace Experiment

In 2017, while leading an in-house initiative at a digital production company, I noticed morale slipping. Informal interviews revealed:

• 90% cited process frustration or burnout
• 80% felt unappreciated by peers
• 70% felt unseen by leadership

I reintroduced tokens — this time designed for the workplace. They became small, durable artifacts of acknowledgment that anyone could give.

Result: Within weeks, energy shifted. Laughter returned. Appreciation became visible currency — a grassroots morale movement grounded in authentic human exchange, not digital tools.

Insight: Experience Over Automation

While digital recognition platforms became popular after 2018, this project reaffirmed a key truth:

Human connection doesn’t scale through automation. It scales through intention.

Experiential design isn’t just about delight — it’s about creating real, physical, human experiences that can transform culture from the inside out.

Takeaway: A Framework for Designing Empathy

This initiative matured into a human-centered design framework for authentic connection — one that prioritizes empathy and intentional design over digital convenience.

1. Authenticity over automation: Design for real emotion.
2. Micro-moments matter: Small interactions create positive loops.
3. Gamify purpose, not points: Reward meaning, not metrics.
4. Design for reciprocity: Empower both giver and receiver.

Closing Reflection

The Gamification of Appreciation began as a social experiment and evolved into a statement of experiential design leadership — proving that culture shifts don’t need an app, only intention, empathy, and creativity shared face-to-face.