Waste to Win: Who Wins the Recycling Game? : An explorative study on how an individual's cognitive problem-solving style affects the impact of gamification.

This thesis explored how cognitive problem-solving style impacts the way gamification elements affect users' attitudes when engaging with the recycling application Bower. Gamification refers to the implementation of game-like elements in non-game contexts with the aim of influencing user behaviour. Previous research shows that gamification can be effective, but also that personalised gamification is important for achieving successful attitude and behaviour changes. However, limited research has examined which individual differences influence users' attitude and how. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate how different gamification elements in the Bower application influence users with varying cognitive problem-solving styles. This was a qualitative and exploratory study, using journal notes and semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection methods. The material was analysed through an abductive approach, supported by the MDE framework and the KAI theory. The results suggest that cognitive problem-solving style influences how gamification affects users' attitudes toward their recycling habits. Five tendencies were identified and formulated into hypotheses for future validation. The findings suggest the importance of considering cognitive problem-solving styles when designing gamified systems aimed at promoting sustainable behaviours and suggest further exploration of personalised design in sustainability-focused applications.