Octalysis Level 2 Certificate Achiever: Colin Hahn
“Wait, didn’t I already see a blog post about Colin Hahn’s Octalysis Certificate recently?”
Yes, you did, Colin is on a roll! He attained his Level 1 certificate with this submission about Talent Development.
⚡ Speed Run Notes
- Level 2 certification is the marker of a practitioner who has taught the framework back to themselves. Level 1 is absorption. Level 2 is production. The gap between them is where skill actually crystallizes. Programs that offer multiple levels create a progression path that single-level programs cannot match.
- The value of a Level 2 practitioner is that they can teach the framework to others. Level 1 practitioners apply it. Level 2 practitioners teach it. Teaching is the deepest form of learning, which is why Level 2 is significantly harder than Level 1 — and significantly more valuable to the community.
- CD2 (Accomplishment) is calibrated differently at Level 2 — the satisfaction comes from mastery visible to peers, not from passing a test. Level 1 is “I made it.” Level 2 is “my work is recognized by other practitioners.” The second is the deeper form of accomplishment, and it's the one that makes people continue practicing for decades.
- Multi-level certifications create internal social hierarchies — which is a feature, not a bug. Level 2 practitioners mentor Level 1 ones. Level 1 practitioners aspire to Level 2. The hierarchy creates the mentorship pipeline. Flat programs (only one level) cannot produce this dynamic.
- The deepest insight: Level 2 is where the practitioner becomes part of the framework's stewardship. Level 1 practitioners benefit from the framework. Level 2 practitioners help maintain it. The shift from consumer to maintainer is the defining transition in any serious practice — and certifications that mark it create the most durable communities.
And shortly after, he submitted for the Level 2 Octalysis Certificate, which he achieved in one go!
About the Creator of the Octalysis Framework
Yu-kai Chou created the Octalysis Framework after studying gamification since 2003 — years before the term entered mainstream vocabulary. As a Human-Systems Architect & Behavioral Designer, his framework has been applied by LEGO, Microsoft, Porsche, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and MrBeast, impacting over 1.5 Billion Users.
Chou has taught the Octalysis methodology at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Tesla, Google, BCG, and IDEO.
His work has been cited by Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, US Department of Energy, NIST, NSF, NCBI, US Department of Education, ClinicalTrials.gov, and 3,700+ more academic publications. Explore his books here.
Improving Douglas Dynamics
The chosen experience to analyze and improve is Leadership Engine, a program to develop new leaders at Douglas Dynamics.
Douglas Dynamics is a publicly traded manufacturing company. They produce work truck attachments and install attachments onto work truck chasses.
Currently, 230 of the 1,750 employees are in first-level leadership roles: Team leads, Operations managers and Office managers.
But the new leader experience at Douglas Dynamics is inconsistent and ad hoc, creating a significant opportunity for the new Leadership Engine program to improve labor productivity, engagement, and turnover.
[slideshare id=249747441&doc=colinhahn-leadershipenginev120210421-210715064003]
The Octalysis Strategy Dashboard
Colin diligently creates a full Octalysis Strategy Dashboard, capturing all the information required to guide the design process.
For Level 2 this also includes Feedback Vehicles, Feedback Mechanics and Rewards.
By creating an Octalysis Graph to analyze the motivation provided by the current experience he identifies the key areas for improvement.
A New Visual Dashboard
After brainstorming features to fill the gaps and ensure the new experience is motivating for the main Player Type, Colin created visuals to explain his ideas — a requirement for the Level 2 Certificate.
This is his proposal for an improved visual dashboard.
Congratulations Colin for reaching this impressive milestone and adding your name to the Hall of Fame! You’ve earned it.
Try out Octalysis Prime for FREE if you want to master all the skills required to motivate your employees.
Related Reading
- Octalysis Certificate Achiever: Colin Hahn (Level 1)
- The Strategy Dashboard for Gamification Design
- The Octalysis Framework for Gamification & Behavioral Design
- What is Gamification?