Fun is one of the most ubiquitous human experiences. It would be hard to find someone who would say they had never had fun. It would be equally hard to find someone who didn’t want to have fun. Why then is it so hard to articulate what makes an experience fun? For the designer, this creates a complex problem. When designers are charged with creating fun experiences, how does one know where to begin? What is fun and why is it important? How do we go about creating a fun experience? We are in need of a “fun” model appropriate for design practice. The goal of this thesis is to provide just that.
Through my research, I will provide designers with a relevant definition of fun. The basis for this definition will be the “funtinuum,” a qualitative scale of the dimensions of fun. Second, a rationale for the importance of “fun,” its tangible benefits to end users and appropriate contexts for fun in design will be discussed. Lastly, I will present guiding principles for producing fun experiences through interaction design. Case studies of current “fun” products and applications will be explored in the context of these guidelines to provide further explanation on how to create fun experiences.