Design motivation systems using Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose (AMP) for products and teams. Use when the user mentions "intrinsic motivation", "gamification isnt working", "team incentives", "autonomy", "mastery", "purpose-driven", "employee engagement", or "reward systems". Also trigger when designing onboarding progression systems, fixing broken gamification, or building team structures that sustain high performance. Covers why carrot-and-stick fails and how to build progress systems. For habit-forming product loops, see hooked-ux. For retention behavior design, see improve-retention.
Framework for designing motivation systems in products, teams, and organizations based on the science of what actually motivates humans. Replaces outdated carrot-and-stick thinking with intrinsic motivation.
The secret to high performance isn't rewards and punishment — it's the deeply human need to direct our own lives, learn and create new things, and do better for ourselves and our world.
The foundation: For any task requiring even rudimentary cognitive effort, external rewards (bonuses, prizes, punishments) either don't work or actively make performance worse. Intrinsic motivation — Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose — drives lasting engagement.
Goal: 10/10. When evaluating motivation systems (product features, team incentives, gamification, engagement loops), rate 0-10 based on AMP principles. A 10/10 means the system supports autonomy, enables mastery, and connects to purpose; lower scores indicate reliance on extrinsic rewards or controlling behaviors. Always provide current score and improvements to reach 10/10.
| Version | Core Assumption | Approach | Era |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Humans are biological beings | Survival drives (food, shelter, safety) | Pre-industrial |
| 2.0 | Humans respond to rewards/punishments | Carrot and stick (bonuses, penalties) | Industrial age |
| 3.0 | Humans seek autonomy, mastery, purpose | Intrinsic motivation | Knowledge economy |
The problem with Motivation 2.0 (carrot and stick):
Most organizations still run on Motivation 2.0, but it's fundamentally broken for modern work.
External rewards ("if-then" rewards: "If you do X, then you get Y"):
| Flaw | Mechanism | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Extinguish intrinsic motivation | Turns play into work | Kids who were paid to draw stopped drawing when payments stopped |
| 2. Diminish performance | Narrow focus, reduce creativity | Candle problem: reward group performed worse |
| 3. Crush creativity | Focus on reward, not exploration | Artists creating commissioned work are less creative |
| 4. Crowd out good behavior | Financial framing replaces moral framing | Day care late-pickup fee: lateness increased (became a "service") |
| 5. Encourage cheating | Goal fixation leads to shortcuts | Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal |
| 6. Become addictive | Need bigger rewards over time | Bonus escalation: last year's bonus = this year's expectation |
| 7. Foster short-term thinking | Optimize for reward period | Quarterly bonuses → quarterly thinking |
When extrinsic rewards DO work:
When extrinsic rewards DON'T work (and hurt):
See: references/extrinsic-rewards.md for the science behind reward failures.
Definition: The desire to direct our own lives — to have choice over what we do, when we do it, how we do it, and who we do it with.
Autonomy ≠ independence. Autonomy means acting with choice. You can be autonomous while being interdependent with a team.
The Four T's of Autonomy:
| Dimension | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Task | What do I work on? | Google's 20% time, Atlassian ShipIt days |
| Time | When do I work? | Flexible hours, no mandatory meetings |
| Technique | How do I do it? | Choose your own tools, methods, approach |
| Team | Who do I work with? | Self-forming teams, choose collaborators |
Product applications:
| Context | Autonomy Killer | Autonomy Enabler |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Forced linear tutorial | Choose your own path, skip steps |
| Customization | One-size-fits-all | Themes, layouts, preferences |
| Content | Algorithm-only feed | User-controlled feeds, filters |
| Communication | Forced notifications | Notification preferences, DND |
| Workflow | Rigid process | Flexible workflow, custom automations |
| Features | Feature bloat (all visible) | Show/hide features, progressive disclosure |
Autonomy audit questions:
Warning signs of autonomy violation:
See: references/autonomy.md for autonomy design patterns.
Definition: The desire to get better at something that matters — to continually improve and grow.
Mastery is a mindset, not a destination. It's asymptotic — you can approach it but never fully reach it. The joy is in the pursuit.
Three laws of mastery:
Law 1: Mastery is a Mindset
Law 2: Mastery is a Pain
Law 3: Mastery is Asymptotic
The Flow Channel:
ANXIETY
/
/
FLOW ←──────────── Optimal challenge zone
\
\
BOREDOM
Low Skill ──────────────── High Skill
Flow conditions:
Product applications:
| Context | Mastery Design | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Progress | Visible skill development | GitHub contribution graph, Duolingo levels |
| Difficulty | Adaptive challenge | Games that adjust to player skill |
| Feedback | Immediate, clear signals | Real-time writing analysis (Grammarly) |
| Goals | Clear, achievable milestones | LinkedIn profile strength meter |
| Learning | Skill trees, structured paths | Codecademy learning paths |
| Streaks | Consistency tracking | Duolingo streaks (careful: can become extrinsic) |
Mastery audit questions:
Warning signs of mastery violation:
See: references/mastery.md for mastery design patterns and flow state principles.
Definition: The yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
Purpose is the context for autonomy and mastery. Without purpose, autonomy is directionless and mastery is hollow.
Three expressions of purpose:
| Expression | How It Manifests | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Purpose-driven objectives | TOMS: "With every product you purchase, TOMS will help a person in need" |
| Words | Language of purpose, not profit | "Associates" not "employees", "community" not "users" |
| Policies | Actions that demonstrate purpose | Patagonia: "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign |
Product applications:
| Context | Purpose Design | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mission | Clear, inspiring why | "Organize the world's information" (Google) |
| Impact | Show user's contribution | Wikipedia edit counter, Kiva lending impact |
| Community | Connect to something bigger | Open source contribution, community goals |
| Transparency | Show how product helps | Charity: Water shows exact well location |
| Values | Align product with beliefs | Ecosia: "Search the web to plant trees" |
Purpose audit questions:
Purpose in product design:
See: references/purpose.md for purpose-driven design patterns.
Wrong gamification (extrinsic, Motivation 2.0):
Right gamification (intrinsic, Motivation 3.0):
| Principle | Bad (Extrinsic) | Good (Intrinsic) |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | Forced challenges, mandatory participation | Choose challenges, opt-in |
| Mastery | Points for everything | Skill-based progression, meaningful milestones |
| Purpose | Pointless competition | Contribute to community, personal growth |
Example: Duolingo
How to apply AMP to team management:
| Principle | Manager Action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | Give control over task, time, technique, team | "Here's the goal. How you get there is up to you." |
| Mastery | Provide challenge, feedback, growth | Stretch assignments, mentorship, skill development budget |
| Purpose | Connect work to mission | "Here's why this matters for our customers" |
"If-then" vs. "Now that" rewards:
Pink's recommendations:
The baseline:
See: references/applications.md for product and team applications.
| Type X (Extrinsic) | Type I (Intrinsic) |
|---|---|
| Fueled by external rewards | Fueled by autonomy, mastery, purpose |
| Concerned with external recognition | Concerned with inherent satisfaction |
| Short-term focused | Long-term focused |
| Sees effort as burden | Sees effort as path to mastery |
| Fixed mindset tendencies | Growth mindset tendencies |
Goal: Design products and teams that cultivate Type I behavior.
Type I behavior:
| Mistake | Why It Fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Points for everything | Crowds out intrinsic motivation | Reserve rewards for meaningful milestones |
| Mandatory participation | Kills autonomy | Make engagement opt-in |
| Same challenge for everyone | No flow state (bored or anxious) | Adaptive difficulty matching |
| No visible progress | Can't see mastery | Progress indicators, skill tracking |
| Missing "why" | Actions feel meaningless | Connect every feature to purpose |
| If-then bonuses | Creates short-term thinking | Pay fairly, focus on AMP |
Audit any motivation system:
| Question | If No | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Can users choose what/when/how? | Autonomy violation | Add choices, flexibility, customization |
| Can users see their progress? | No mastery signal | Add progress tracking, skill levels |
| Is the challenge matched to skill? | Boredom or anxiety | Implement adaptive difficulty |
| Is there immediate feedback? | Can't improve | Add real-time response to actions |
| Does the user know WHY this matters? | No purpose | Connect to mission, show impact |
| Are we using "if-then" rewards? | Extrinsic motivation | Switch to "now-that" or intrinsic design |
This skill is based on Daniel Pink's research on motivation science. For the complete framework:
Daniel H. Pink is the author of seven books including four New York Times bestsellers. Drive has been translated into over 40 languages and fundamentally changed how organizations think about motivation. Pink's TED Talk on the science of motivation is one of the most-viewed of all time (45M+ views). He has advised companies, governments, and nonprofits worldwide on motivation, creativity, and human performance. Pink was previously a speechwriter for Vice President Al Gore and has written for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wired.