Pains-Gain Map
The object of this game is to develop an understanding of motivations and decisions.
Goal
The object of this game is to develop an understanding of motivations and decisions.
Materials
Instructions
Flow
Any decisions often boil down to one’s basic choices between benefit and harm. By capturing these specifics for a key person, your group may uncover the most relevant points to bring up in presenting or influencing the key person’s decision. This key person may be the ultimate user of a product or may be the leader of an organization whose approval is sought.
Start by writing the key person’s name or creating a quick sketch of him on a wall. Ask about this person’s pains first by prompting the group to step inside his mind and think and feel as he does. Capture the answers on one side of the person:
- What does a bad day look like for him?
- What is he afraid of?
- What keeps him awake at night?
- What is he responsible for?
- What obstacles stand in his way?
A persona’s gains can be the inversion of the pain situation—or can go beyond. Capture these on the opposite side by asking:
- What does this person want and aspire to?
- How does he measure success?
- Given the subject at hand, how could this person benefit?
- What can we offer this person?
Summarize and prioritize the top pains and gains from the exercise. Use them when developing presentations, value propositions, or any other instance where you are trying to influence a decision.
Attachments
- Pain-gain Map.PNG
Background
The Pain-Gain Map game is credited to Dave Gray.
Source: Gamestorming
Author
Gamestorming is a set of co-creation tools used by innovators around the world. Think back to the last time you played a game. What was the game? Why did you choose to play? Was it a simple game like tic-tac-toe, or something more complex, like Monopoly, Scrabble or Chess? Or maybe it was a game of basketball? Did you play with friends? With family? Try to recapture the feeling you had as you played the game. How did it feel? Would you like to have more of that feeling at work? Games come naturally to human beings. Playing a game is a way of exploring the world, a form of structured play, a natural learning activity that’s deeply tied to growth. Games can be fun and entertaining, but games can have practical benefits too. These games are designed to help you get more innovative, creative results in your work. We’ll show you not only how to play them but how to design them so they fit your own specific work goals.
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