Playful products

I stumbled upon an article by Jonathan Follett on UX Matters. He suggests four characteristics for a playful product, and thus, these are the variables to measure when studying the playfulness of a digital product.

• lots of small rewards and positive feedback for taking action
• no negative consequences for experimentation
• the ability to take someone else’s work and build on it
• frivolous interaction

His suggestions are a good start. There are two more features I immediately want to add to the list, socializing and challenge. For instance challenging your friend to create a cooler Nike shoe than the shiny masterpiece you just did, by sending him or her an e-mail.