The concept of gamification in education has been widely discussed, from the traditional use of points, badges, and leaderboards to more holistic interpretations that see gamification as a design process. This approach allows educators to customise interventions to diverse use cases and a broad spectrum of learner experiences. This position paper adopts the latter view, arguing that viewing gamification as a design process enables educators to utilise a wider array of tools to boost student motivation and engagement. However, this requires educators to learn from design practitioners, particularly in understanding their audience's needs and preferences. We highlight the importance of empathy in educational design and advocate for aligning gamified strategies with learners’ psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Methodologically, the paper employs an inductive top-down theorising approach, allowing iterative refinement by combining theory-based abstraction with emerging insights from the literature. Building on a previous literature review that developed a framework describing the gamification ecosystem, this paper expands that work by exploring how design processes, specifically design thinking, can be integrated with gamification. This involves adopting a design-oriented perspective on gamification, considering the audience and employing a design mindset. Additionally, we propose a conceptual model for embedding design thinking into the use of gamification as a design process, incorporating concepts that address motivational needs alongside relevant game design elements. The paper outlines the conceptual foundations of this model, combining the stages of Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test with gamification strategies, including frameworks and motivational analysis. It also discusses practical implications for instructional design and offers hands-on strategies for educators. By reframing gamification through a design perspective and learning from the design community, we aim to promote more thoughtful and learner-centred approaches in educational gamification. The resulting contribution is a design-focused framework that consolidates theoretical insights from gamification, motivation, and design thinking. This framework can support more sustainable gamification practices in education, providing educators with a structured yet adaptable method to create meaningful and motivational learning experiences. Ultimately, this paper asserts that while gamification has great potential, its success depends on the quality of the design process. The combination of gamification and design thinking represents a powerful pedagogical approach that can support educators in designing and delivering more student-centred, empathy-driven educational interventions.

Keywords: Gamification, Design, Education, Gamification as a design process, Motivation