Like a fire

The Overlap

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Creating Passionate Users: Usability through fun

I saw a great article from CPU today that really got me thinking about programming. They had a visual aid with two linked circles, one being usability and the other fun. Where they linked was the place we want to be for users. They draw the very obvious conclusion that the more fun something is, the more likely people are to continue doing it. But what I was thinking of is programming. Specifically programming for youth ministry.

Most youth ministires I see use games to create fun during part of their meeting time and then switch to purpose (or the real reason) for the rest of the meeting. I was wondering how much overlap there was and my thoughts were running toward the not much end of things. Not everything in the church has to be fun, but I wonder why it is so hard to overlap the two.

Shouldn’t professional guys be able to find a way to help teens see how it if fun to get together with others and interact with God and his word?

CPU also makes a point about the difference between fun and funny. Youth ministry has developed a model of being funny during purpose times, which is a bit more fun, but it isn’t the involvement of the kids in the fun like the original idea. Better than just entertaining kids and being funny, we ought to be involving them in the fun of ministry. I love developing a message series and programming. So do a lot of my youth. Involving them in that helps them experience that fun. There are some things I hate doing that others do and would consider fun like developing games.

The point is, we need to evaluate our overlap and maximize as much of that time as possible. I think that is the beginning of the “Long Tail” in ministry where teens continue in their faith even after youth group.

3 Comments

1. 

   ya know. A couple of years ago I went to a conference for social studies. I was new to teaching and wanted to get some ideas on what to do with middle schoolers. Every session was how to make social studies more "fun" and "entertaining." I was stunned. I don't remember any of my social studies - ESPECIALLY middle school- and you can correct me if I'm wrong on this! Being "fun" or exciting. And, I truly don't believe the kids we are being paid to basically- entertain with a little knowledge thrown in- get any more out of it than the way it was done in the past. My kids have been going to VBS for years now too... and as you know, they are really big with THEMES now. We didn't have themes. I was a very spiritual child- and I loved VBS- I got a lot out of it. But, I don't see my kids getting a lot of God out of these fun themed weeks. Its all about what crafts they do, what cool snacks they had- their flashy memory verse papers get tossed to the side on day 1 and the community service project just gets thrown in somewhere... But, I was watching the news this morning- some local youth group (sorry I was only half watching so I can't give details!) was spending the summer doing hard labor fixing up low income houses- in this heat- from 8-4 every day. Not fun. But the kids they interviewed seemed sincerely blessed to be there and experience helping less fortunate... I don't know if all the rambling makes sense! But, I guess it would be- do we REALLLLY need to make it fun to get the purpose- or are we going overboard trying to make stuff "fun" when we really don't need to? Kim

   Kim / 22 Jul 2006 / 3:56 AM

2. 

   I've got to side with Paul and the writers from CPU on this one. No, you don't NEED to have fun to have a meaningful experience. However, having a good experience on top of a meaningful experience is even more powerful. It's not always possible to make something "fun", but when it does make sense, why not work it in?

   hash / 22 Jul 2006 / 7:32 PM

3. 

   I think that the problem with fun in ministry is when it doesn't actually overlap. People often try to make something fun rather than show how it IS fun. If what is happening is fun or useful then showing that to the user helps them see the importance and usefulness of it. Fun is one of the most useful tools for for more than temporary connection.

   Paul / 22 Jul 2006 / 7:36 PM