Design and Evaluation of a Gamified Interactive System for Enhancing Soft Skills in Generation Z

Abstract

This study presents the design of a gamified interactive system intended to enhance soft skills among Generation Z, developed using a Design Science Research (DSR) approach. Rather than treating educational games solely as engagement tools, this research reframes such systems as structured interactive artifacts that integrate gamification mechanisms, a user interaction model, and a plan for behavioral measurement. A needs assessment combining expert interviews, a target-market interview, and a 55-respondent survey identified a persistent gap between Generation Z's awareness of soft skills and their self-rated proficiency, together with strong interest in game-based learning as an alternative to conventional training. These findings informed the design of a scenario-based interactive game that simulates real-life situations requiring communication, problem-solving, and decision-making, structured around points, feedback loops, progression systems, and a defined gameplay flow. This paper reports the completed design artifacts — the interaction model, narrative concept, and visual design — and specifies a pre-test/post-test evaluation protocol, including validated soft-skill measures, a comparison condition, and planned statistical analysis, to be used to test the system's effectiveness once a functional prototype is implemented. This study contributes a system-oriented design framework bridging interactive design and behavioral-outcome measurement in gamified soft-skill training, and it explicitly distinguishes the present needs-assessment and design contribution from the effectiveness evaluation planned for future work.