Height vs. depth in badging framework design

As Digital Badging matures and the technologies to issue, curate, massify and automate badges evolve, the question of overall framework design becomes increasingly crucial. If badges are to attain and maintain currency they must be contextualised in relation to other badges, as parts of sets of badges and in relation to other sets of badges. The learners of the future may well have a large number of badges to navigate and curate which may lose significance as merely part of a horizontal ‘stack’ of badges. Designing for depth as well would allow the relationships, pathways and connections between badges to become more relevant in understanding the meaning of badges and in motivating learners. This chapter looks to the evolution of badging on video game consoles and its roots in the virtual persona profiles in tabletop gaming to draw on the parallel experience of design and cautionary tales of how early design decision may have later ramifications.