In 2026, after nearly 90 years, the Institute of Design was folded into Illinois Tech's School of Design & Society.
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László Moholy-Nagy opened the New Bauhaus in Chicago in 1937, treating design as a discipline that was teachable, testable, and consequential. Nine decades on, its scope had widened from the things people use to the systems they depend on: hospitals, government agencies, classrooms, supply chains, digital platforms. Along the way, ID community members developed the published research, methods, and frameworks that designers rely on every day.

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Ruth Schmidt Discusses Gamification in Dirt Newsletter

ID Faculty Member Explores Design's Role in Digital Behavior

February 20, 2025

Gamification part 1 image - a tiled game board reminiscent of Snakes and Ladders

ID Associate Professor Ruth Schmidt shared her expertise in behavioral design—at the intersection of behavioral science and humanity-centered design—in a two-part series in Dirt. The series explores how gamification shapes—and sometimes distorts—human behavior.

Ruth discussed how quantification affects our relationship with everyday experiences and decision-making.

“
It gives us a very specific, black and white, concrete target, so it's very easy to say 'I did that' or 'I didn't do that.' That does a lot for human beings because it gives us a very specific thing to aim for. We know that we achieved it, and we also know when we fall short.
—Ruth Schmidt, Associate Professor, Institute of Design
Portrait of Ruth Schmidt

However, as tech companies increasingly rely on points-based systems to drive engagement, Schmidt discussed an emerging countertrend toward “positive friction” in behavioral design—interventions that encourage users to slow down and be more mindful of their actions rather than chase metrics.

The series, written by Norah Rami, highlights gamification’s dual nature: while it can help track meaningful accomplishments, it often reduces complex human experiences to simple point systems. Rami examines how gamification has evolved from a promising tool for positive change into what often becomes a data-collection mechanism that can trap users in addictive patterns. Schmidt’s contributions illuminate how thoughtful design choices can help create more balanced and human-centered approaches to behavioral change.

Read the series in part one and part two.

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