Gamified Media Design for Sustainable Campus Participation: A Two-Phase Evaluation of a Digital Recycling Communication Platform

Abstract

Sustainable behaviour systems in higher education are increasingly delivered through mobile digital platforms, yet their role as media artefacts remains under-examined in media and communication research. This study addresses this gap by analysing a gamified WeChat Mini Program for campus recycling as a creative media design artefact that mediates user attention, feedback, identity, and participation. The study is motivated by a documented attitude–behaviour gap at a university campus in Jiangsu Province, China: 84.48% of surveyed students (N = 406) understood waste-sorting rules, while only 19.21% consistently practised correct sorting. Guided by Design Science Research, seven evidence streams were translated into the Evidence-Driven Dual-Engine Recycling Engagement Framework (EDRF), which was operationalised as a deployed WeChat Mini Program and evaluated across two field phases. Phase 1 confirmed operational reliability with 234 registered users, 446 verified submissions, 1,291.03 kg of recyclables, and 100% settlement success. Phase 2 activated the full gamified experience and produced positive expert evaluation (n = 14, M = 4.05/5.00) and student usability evaluation (n = 40, M = 4.00/5.00). Supplementary backend records further indicated continued operational activity after the structured evaluation window. The findings support the interpretation of gamified sustainability platforms as behaviour-mediating media artefacts, where feedback visibility, identity narrative, and institutional trust are central to sustained participation.