18 07 2015

“Everything in the future online is going to look like a multiplayer game.” Eric Schmidt, Google CEO

This article is based on materials from the popular Gamification Coursera project , as well as the book Engage and Conquer by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter. Game thinking in the service of business" ( original title « For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business".

The article note is a collection of notes that I took while watching the lectures. It is written very in simple language, since I wrote the summary primarily for myself, and then decided to edit it and publish it on the blog.

Gamification (gamification) in education and business is not yet as popular in Russia as, for example, in the USA, but I think interest in this topic will grow in the coming years.

Since there is a lot of material, I decided to break it into several articles. This is the first part, the second and third will appear in the near future.

What is gamification?

People have invented various games throughout history. Each of us was once truly passionate about some kind of game. Some with football, some with chess, some with Monopoly, and some with World of Warcraft or FarmVille. Games have enormous power, and make us experience a variety of feelings. We are passionate about the game process, we feel involved in the team and satisfaction from the achieved result.

There are principles on which games are built and techniques that make them fun. These principles and techniques can be applied not only in games, but also in other areas such as marketing, human resources, healthcare, defense environment and training.

A well-designed game is a complex and multifaceted tool that can have a significant impact on our motivation.

This is the essence of a new business practice called gamification (gamification). We take game elements and approaches used in video game design and apply them to non-game situations.

The term gamification (gamification) appeared not so long ago, and often causes misunderstanding. Gamification is often confused with other concepts related to games in one way or another. Before we look at what gamification actually is, let's first be clear about what it is NOT.

• This is not 3D immersion virtual world, like Second Life.
• These are not games while working or studying.
• This is not the use of games in a business context, as, for example, within the framework of the McDonald's Monopoly project.
• These are not various simulators that are used in the training of pilots, doctors and military specialists (all that is in lately often combined under the term serious games).
• Gamification is used not only for marketing and attracting new customers.
• This is not game theory (the branch of applied mathematics that studies optimal strategies in games).
• If you have already read something on the topic, then you have probably come across the abbreviation PBLs, which stands for points (points), badges (badges, badges, awards), leaderboars (leader tables, leaderboards). Gamification is not limited to the introduction of these elements, and moreover, it does not necessarily include them.
• Gamification does not necessarily apply to digital formats. So, if we work with children, then real medals or stripes on clothes can serve as badges.
• Gamification alone cannot be the key to success. This is nothing more than an auxiliary element. This way, your app won't be used just to get to the top of the leaderboard. It will be used primarily because it is useful in some way, and gamification is simply a tool to increase motivation and engagement.

Why use gamification?

Why do hundreds of millions of people around the world spend hundreds of billions of hours every month playing games using computers, game consoles, mobile phones and tablets? Why are not only teenagers interested in computer games, but also adults, well-educated and accomplished people who, it would seem, should not waste time on such nonsense?

The answer is very simple: because these games are cleverly designed. They take into account psychological characteristics participants, colossal work and experience of developers was invested in their creation.

Successfully implementing gamification can be a challenging task as it requires very specific knowledge different areas. So, if we use gamification in the business sphere, it will require both an understanding of the principles of game design and the ability to manage business processes. If in training, then, accordingly, understanding the mechanisms of creating games and experience in compiling training courses. Finding a specialist who has all the necessary competencies can be a difficult task. But this situation also has its advantages, as it leaves room for experiments and new ideas.

The main thing in the process of gamification is not to focus on the external, superficial attributes of the game, such as PBLs (points, badges, leaderboards), and not to lose sight of more important aspects, underlying it.

The need to use gamification arose due to the fact that old motivational schemes often do not work. The carrot and stick method is not always effective. Monetary rewards, status, and fear of punishment operate, but only to a certain extent. The world around us is changing rapidly, new opportunities are constantly emerging, and people often behave completely differently than expected, based on the basic existing conditions. at the moment management and marketing concepts. Perhaps it's worth trying new schemes?

While studying at school and university, we all received grades. Grades are the mechanism by which teachers measure learning and motivate students to achieve new goals, and if you think about it, they have a lot in common with scores in computer game. At work, we move from one position to another, higher one, as we accumulate experience and knowledge, just as in a game we move from one level to another, more complex one. Work and education are, to a great extent, games. So why not make these games more interesting?

Game elements can significantly increase motivation. Moreover, monetary reward is not always necessary, since the game itself is a reward. So, when people play video games, they can spend a huge amount of resources trying to acquire virtual objects that have no real value, not to mention the fact that in some cases they have to spend real money to acquire these objects.

Examples of using gamification in business.

Millions of people use Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office every day. This software developed by hundreds of specialists, subjected to numerous modifications over many years, and localized for all major languages ​​of the world. In such complex systems errors inevitably occur. They are identified by testers, whose task in this case is to review each dialog box in each language for errors. The work is done “manually”, as automated systems not effective enough. The problem here is not only the huge amount of work, but also that this work is extremely boring and monotonous. Even a company like Microsoft has a hard time finding enough people to test its products. Difficulties arise even with finding specialists who test software on English, not to mention such rare languages ​​as Slovenian or Urdu.

One of the testing teams was led by Ross Smith, who found non-standard approach to solve the problem by turning the software testing process into an exciting game called the Language Quality Game.

Thousands of Microsoft employees around the world took part in this game in their free time (!). They received points for each error they found (the use of language seemed incorrect to them), and their results occupied a certain place in the leaderboard (the more points scored, the higher the place in the table). In order to make sure that the players were not just “flicking through” the pages without looking, but were actually trying to find inaccuracies, the game organizers added large number intentional mistakes and obvious incorrect translations. The scoring system tracked the results of both individual players and regions.

The game contributed to the emergence of a competitive spirit. The employees wanted to win. They also wanted their tongue to win. Ultimately, 4,500 participants reviewed more than half a million Windows 7 dialog boxes, reported 6,700 inaccuracies, and resulted in hundreds of significant corrections. Not only did they do something that was not part of their job responsibilities, but also found the process of finding errors fascinating and addictive.

I couldn’t find a good photograph of Ross Smith, so I took a screenshot from this speech:

I took screenshots from this page. To be honest, I’m not sure that they relate specifically to the project described in the article, and not to one of the similar ones, but, in any case, the principle is the same.

What is internal gamification?

Ros Smith's Language Quality Game project is an example of internal gamification, that is, the use of gamification within an organization to increase productivity.

Internal gamification has two characteristic features. First, the players are already part of an established community, in this case a firm. Company employees can be very different people, with widely varying capabilities and interests. But they regularly interact with each other, share the corporate culture of the organization, want to get promoted, and achieve a certain status. The Language Quality Game was successful because Microsoft employees wanted to beat their colleagues in other regions, and because they were all united by one global goal - to create a better operating system.

Secondly, the motivational component of gamification must interact with the company's existing management practices and incentive schemes. The Language Quality Game was effective because the players were not hired by the company as testers. They did not participate in the game because it affected them wages, but because they enjoyed the game itself.

What is external gamification?

External gamification is associated with interaction with existing customers and attracting new ones, that is, it is usually used with marketing purposes. Gamification in this case is a way to increase customer loyalty, which should ultimately lead to increased profits.

An example of the use of external gamification is Record Searchlight, a daily newspaper published in Redding, California. Any printed publication faces great challenges due to the fact that readers increasingly prefer electronic publications. They learn news from blogs and find articles on relevant topics on the Web, which leads to a decrease in the number of subscribers and a decrease in advertising revenue.

Record Searchlight management decided to create a website (containing advertising), the goal of which was not just to attract readers, but to motivate them to actively interact with articles and recommend materials to friends.

They introduced a system of badges that readers could earn for quality comments on online articles. The badge was an icon that was reflected in the profile of the user who achieved the required results (left a certain number of comments). One of the goals of introducing badges was to keep users on the site.

After 3 months, the volume of comments increased by 10%, and the time spent by the user on the site increased by 25% per session. Another goal was to improve the quality of discussions on the site. Since the readers supported good comments other readers, the badges made it possible to reduce the number of offensive and dubious statements, which made it possible to reduce the costs of moderation.

What is behavior change gamification?

The term behavior-change gamification was used in the course materials. I'm translating it verbatim because I can't think of a suitable equivalent. Behavior change here refers to the formation of new habits and social norms. Gamification in this case is aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle, disseminating information about the rational use of natural resources, and mastering new useful skills, such as financial literacy.

An example is Keas. Health Management, which aims to motivate people to lead healthy image life. Keas was founded by Adam Bosworth, who previously worked at Microsoft, BEA Systems and Google. The company initially focused on providing users with comprehensive health information, believing that if people could clearly see how their diet and physical activity affect their health, they will adjust their behavior. But it didn't work. No matter how comprehensive and convincing the information presented, people could not eradicate old habits.

Then the company changed its strategy. They first presented the information in the form of tests that tested awareness of health conditions. Then we included tests in team game, which had levels, strategy, and a leaderboard. The company was not confident of success. After all, who likes surveys and tests? But, just in case, they compiled a large number of questions. They were supposed to be enough for the 12 weeks that the program lasts. Users completed all tests within a week.

After which the company continued to develop in this direction. Turning health care into a game has enabled many people to successfully change behavior and develop new, healthy habits. For example, employees at one hospital who participated in the Keas program lost more than 1,200 pounds collectively, while 64% of participants noted that their work productivity increased.

The systems that Microsoft, Record Searchlight and Keas have implemented appear to have little in common at first glance, as they are designed to function in very different contexts. But all of them are examples of gamification and the use of game thinking to solve business and socially significant problems.

How can you define the term gamification?

Companies have been applying gaming thinking to solve business problems for a long time, but have not made the most of the power of gamification. Term gamification appeared in 2003, but became widely used only in 2010. Although many reputable magazines call gamification a popular new trend in business, the term is often interpreted differently.

In this article, gamification refers to the use of game elements and techniques used in game design in non-game contexts. There are three important points in this definition:

1) game elements,

2) techniques for constructing games,

3) non-game contexts (situations).

Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Any game is constructed from individual parts, which can be called game elements. Elements is a set of tools with which you can build a game. Thus, checkers includes elements such as pieces (checkers), features of interaction between checkers, such as moving checkers diagonally and the ability to “eat” opponent’s checkers, and rules according to which checkers that reach the last row become kings. Thus, the elements of the game include objects, the features of their interaction, and a set of rules.

In the Language Quality Game, game elements included competition between company divisions in different countries and leaderboards to compare the results of participants.

Just as we can assemble various objects from Lego pieces, we can construct something new from various elements of the game. We can do it new game, or we can combine game elements and create something that is not actually a game. If we take parts of the game and implement them into business practices, for example, we set testers the task of finding errors in software localization, then we are introducing gamification, the goal of which is to increase labor productivity.

Important point. Gamification does not mean creating full game. We just use individual elements games, which gives us more flexibility. When we play checkers, we cannot change the elements of the game - otherwise it will no longer be checkers. With gamification, things are different. When we develop a gamified system, our task is precisely to change the game elements in such a way that they help us achieve our goals.

Gamification uses techniques, typical for creating video games, but everything is not as simple as it seems at first glance. It would seem that there is nothing difficult about implementing a points system on a website; it’s just a piece of code. Do you want your customers to visit your site more often? Then just give them 100 points every time they log in. You can also add a leaderboard to track your scores! But this is an example of the wrong approach to gamification. What is the point of getting points? Some users may find the opportunity to score high or rank at the top of the rankings tempting, but this won't last long. New users may refuse to participate in earning points because they will see that the results of leaders are achievable with great difficulty. Not to mention that most users are simply not interested in points.

Even those companies that use gamification successfully have failures. For example, Record Searchlight has successfully used external gemification to attract and retain readers. But, at some point, the editors got carried away and introduced a special badge for those who subscribed to the advertising mailing list. The idea was unsuccessful, users were annoyed by promotional emails, and the number of subscribers decreased.

How to determine which game elements are best to use when? Gamification is more than just a list possible components And step by step instructions on their application. It's a little science, a little art and a lot of trial and error. Designing games is not an easy task. Even successful companies like Electronic Arts and Sony have spent tens of millions of dollars developing games that have failed to sell. But, if we do not use the experience accumulated by others and time-tested techniques, then the chances of success will be small.

The third element of the definition is non-game contexts(situations). In all gamification situations, whether internal, external, or behavior change, there are non-gaming goals to be achieved. Ross Smith's team wasn't killing hordes of zombies, they were looking through dialog boxes to find translation errors. But somehow in an incredible way, this activity seemed like a game to them .

Why use gamification?

There are three reasons: engagement, experimentation and results.

Engagement. Gamification is a way to develop systems that can motivate people. Anything that can attract new customers and retain existing ones, or inspire employees to solve problems effectively, is worth a try.

The reason here is simple. Games activate the production of dopamine, the “pleasure hormone,” offering us the joy of approval and victory. This means that by creating a gamified system, we can turn the process of completing a task into pleasure. The main thing here is not to focus entirely on the pleasure of the process, and not to rely solely on primitive mechanisms, since all these are elements of external motivation. You can create internal motivation, that is, make completing tasks become meaningful in itself.

Thus, with the help of gamification it is possible to motivate people to exercise regularly, eat healthy food, and rationally use natural resources. You can rally company employees, or complete a task that requires collective effort. For example, studying NASA images in order to find new planets that automated systems cannot detect.

Experiment. Getting better at the game means experimenting. You know that you will inevitably fail someday, but you also know that you can always start again, so the possibility of failure is not scary. In most video games you can win, but you cannot lose completely. Therefore, if the game is balanced, not too difficult and not too simple, then players always strive to improve their results, and constantly find new, often the most unexpected, ways to solve problems. This approach is very important in today's business environment, where innovation plays a key role.

Thank you, it became much clearer.

“Elements of combinatorics” - Rule. What is combinatorics? Write down a formula to find the number of permutations? Guess the puzzles. What are permutations? The number of combinations of n elements by k is denoted (read: “C of n by k”). What is placement? How many ways are there to select students to work in a school site?

"Sport rhythmic gymnastics" - Rhythmic gymnastics, like sportswear, has already passed the peak of its popularity. TO sports types gymnastics include: sports, rhythmic, acrobatic. Or join physical education. True, now rhythmic gymnastics seems to be transforming into aerobics and fitness. The selection process is almost the same as for a choreographic school, if not stricter.

“Finger gymnastics” - Finger gymnastics with elements of logorhythmics. Sand therapy (sand-plau). Goat. Faceted pencil. Multi-colored clothespins. Birdie. Bunny. Say poems with your hands. Speech Therapy Brush"Hedgehog". Sand grammar Writing in sand Sand grammar. Finger gymnastics. Shadow theater. A spool of thread.

“Periodic Table of Chemical Elements” - Arrange the elements in order of increasing metallic properties. Theoretical station “Mendeleev Quiz”. 6-7 correct answers – “4” points. 5 correct answers – “3” points. Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev 1834-1907. 9-8 correct answers – “5” points. 4. How many energy levels are there in a sulfur atom? The letters corresponding to the correct answers will give the name of the country.

“Elements of Statistics” - In order to check their progress in mathematics, each of the 50 students was asked 20 problems. Basic concepts. Having registered the operating time of 65 vacuum tubes, the following results were obtained: Table of statistical data. To calculate the number of intervals, the Sturgers formula is recommended: r? 1+3.322 lg n The length of the interval is calculated by the formula: h = (xmax-xmin)/r.

“Rhythmic gymnastics” - P.F. Lesgafta. Rhythmic gymnastics. A. Vaganova Nikolai Ivanovsky. Leningrad 1935. Russia is the birthplace of rhythmic gymnastics. Judging Three groups of judges evaluate different elements of the exercise. competitions Exercises in rhythmic gymnastics are performed not on apparatus, but with apparatus. Rhythmic gymnastics is a harmonious combination of art and sport.

In order for this or that sphere of the economy to fulfill its functions and solve the tasks assigned to it, it must have a mechanism. Financial mechanism is a set of indicators, levers, techniques and methods that ensure the systematic distribution of GDP and national income, self-supporting activities of production units and control over the use of resources in national economy. Penetrating all areas of distribution relations, the financial mechanism has significant opportunities to actively influence production in the direction of increasing its efficiency. The realization of these opportunities largely depends on the improvement of the financial mechanism, on its compliance with the tasks and requirements of economic development in a given period.

The financial mechanism includes the following elements as structure-forming elements: financial planning, financial management, financial levers and incentives, financial indicators, standards, limits, financial reserves.

The financial mechanism must comply with certain principles, compliance with which ensures its integrity and identity. These principles include: organicity, mutual consistency, consistency of elements; comprehensive coverage of forward and backward connections; presence of elements that neutralize negative influence on the final results of decisions made.
Finance has its own internal structure, the elements of which are enterprise finance, state finance, local finance. And, naturally, each of these elements has its own mechanism.
The financial mechanism of enterprises is part of the economic mechanism; it includes such elements as self-financing, settlements, payments, taxes, subsidies, and credit.

Public finance also has its own mechanism, which includes legislation regulating government revenues and expenditures, methods for raising funds in public financial funds, and principles for financing expenditures.

U local finance the mechanism is in many ways identical to the mechanism inherent in public finance, but its effect extends to entities belonging to a given region, and not to the entire country, which is typical for the mechanism public finance.

The financial mechanism is designed to provide a rational system of distribution relations, which in turn influences the entire process of social reproduction. Therefore, it is necessary that the mechanisms for the functioning of the finances of enterprises, the state and territories work harmoniously and not contradictorily, despite certain differences in goals.

The external environment of organizations includes such elements as consumers, competitors, government agencies, suppliers, financial institutions and labor sources.

Environmental factors are interrelated. The interconnectedness of a factor is characterized by the influence and change of one factor on others.

Give an example.

The external environment is very mobile. Environmental fluidity is the speed at which change occurs in an organization's environment.

The external environment is inherently uncertain. The uncertainty of the external environment depends on the amount of information that an organization has about the specific factors of its activities, as well as the accuracy of the information. The more uncertain the external environment, the more difficult it is to make effective decisions.

One of the ways to facilitate taking into account the influence of the external environment on an organization consists of dividing external factors into two main groups: spheres of direct and spheres of indirect influence on the organization from the outside.

The direct impact environment includes factors that directly affect the activities of the organization and, in turn, are directly influenced by the activities of the organization. These factors include suppliers, laws, customers and competitors.

1. Laws. Many laws (about labor relations, environmental protection, protecting the interests of customers, etc.) significantly affect the organization. Any organization has to adhere to these laws or reap the consequences of failure to comply with the law, fines, or even going out of business completely. Organizations are required to comply not only with laws, but also with the requirements of government regulatory authorities. These bodies ensure the enforcement of laws in the relevant areas of their competence, and may also introduce their own mandatory requirements.

2. Suppliers. From the point of view systematic approach, an organization is a mechanism for transforming inputs and outputs. Types of inputs - materials, equipment, energy, capital, labor force. Based on this, there is a direct connection between suppliers and organizations.

3. Suppliers. An inventory control method created by the Japanese: firms that need materials for the next production step must be delivered on a just-in-time basis. This allows us to practically eliminate the need to create and maintain stocks of raw materials, materials and components. Such a supply system requires close cooperation with suppliers. Enterprises, especially large ones, try to deal with several suppliers at once, because with one supplier, the consumer of materials will clearly depend on any circumstances. For the growth and prosperity of a company, a capital supplier is also needed. Banks are the same suppliers. The better the company is doing, the higher its ability to negotiate with any suppliers, including banks, to receive favorable conditions, resources.

4. Consumers. As American management expert Peter Drucker notes, the only true purpose of business is to create consumers. Customers decide what goods and services they want and at what price they determine almost everything related to the organization's performance. Many organizations even focus their structures on large groups of consumers on whom they are more dependent.

5. Competitors. In many cases, it is competitors who determine what kind of output can be sold and what price can be charged. All organizations can compete for labor resources, materials, capital, the right to use certain technical innovations, as well as consumers. The reaction to competition depends on the following: internal factors, such as working conditions, remuneration and the nature of the relationship between managers and subordinates.

Environmental factors of indirect influence usually influence the organization less noticeably, but they still need to be taken into account; the main environmental factors of indirect influence include: technology, the state of the economy, sociocultural factors, political factors, relations with the local population.

1. Technology. Technology is both an internal variable and an external factor. Technological innovations affect not only the efficiency with which products can be manufactured, but also the type of services and new products consumers expect from an organization.

2. State of the economy. The management of the organization must be able to assess how it will affect its activities overall change state of the economy. For example, if prices are forecast to rise, then management may consider it advisable to increase inventories of raw materials in order to curb the increase in purchases in the near future. It may also decide to take out a loan, since when payments become due, the money will cost less and thereby partially compensate for losses from interest payments. If an economic downturn is predicted, the organization may prefer to reduce inventories of products, since there may be difficulties in selling them.

3. Sociocultural. Any organization operates in a particular cultural environment, therefore, sociocultural factors, including attitudes, life values ​​and traditions, influence the organization.

4. Political factors. Some aspects of the political situation are of particular importance to leaders, one of them is the mood of the administration, legislative bodies and courts in relation to business. Closely linked to sociocultural trends, these sentiments influence government actions such as taxation of corporate income, the establishment of tax incentives, environmental standards, and price controls. For organizations with operations or markets in other countries, great value has a factor of political stability. Since for a foreign investor or for exporting products, political changes can lead to restrictions on the property rights of foreigners, possibly even to the nationalization of foreign property or the establishment of special duties on imports.

5. The environment of organizations operating at the global level is characterized by increased complexity. This is due to a unique set of factors that characterize each country. It is necessary to take into account such factors as the economy, culture, quantity and quality of labor and material resources, laws, political stability, level technological development, which vary from country to country.

6. Relations with the local population. In almost every locality, there are specific guidelines in relation to business that determine where the activities of a particular enterprise can be developed.

In the nature of “transport” there is a general definition of suspension, which is used in different areas of transport depending on the vehicle.

The suspension system, or, as they say colloquially, suspension, spring suspension, is a set of mechanisms, parts and assemblies that are connected directly to the interrogating elements (rollers, wheels, skis) by the car body itself. In general, the suspension is designed to reduce various types of dynamic loads that arise, while this device ensures an even distribution of these loads when moving across all supporting elements. In addition, the suspension serves to increase the traction capacity of the car.

For tracked vehicles, which is very important, the suspension system consists of suspension units. A suspension unit is a set of mechanisms, parts and assemblies that connect the axle of one roller (wheel) directly to the machine body. Sometimes, several rollers may be connected. In this case, they will be connected to the body through one elastic element. Each of the suspension units in all cases includes the mandatory presence of an elastic element - a spring, a shock absorber and a balancer.

Rail vehicles have a different suspension, which is called leaf spring suspension. This type includes such elastic elements as leaf springs, springs and vibration dampers. There are two types of vibration dampers - hydraulic and friction dampers.

The above two paragraphs talk about suspension systems on tracked vehicles and electric locomotives. For us, these points are important for a complete comparison of the entire suspension design and a complete determination of its functioning.

The car's suspension system, or suspension, is also a set of components, parts and mechanisms that are connectors between the road and the car body. This device included in the chassis.

The suspension system performs the following functions:

1. Connects physically uncut axles or wheels to the body or frame - the supporting system of the vehicle.

2. Transfers moments and forces to the supporting system that arise when the wheels interact with the road.

3. Provides necessary method movement of wheels relative to the frame or body. In addition, they regulate the smooth running of the entire car.

It is now necessary to understand the device itself and the design of the suspension. Thus, the suspension includes the following elements:

1. Guide elements. These elements determine the nature and method of movement of the wheels, as well as their direct connection with each other. In addition, these elements transmit longitudinal and lateral forces and their moments.

2. Elastic elements. This type of element transmits and perceives normal road reaction forces (those directed vertically). These road reaction forces, in turn, arise when the vehicle wheel hits a certain unevenness.

3. Shock absorbers serve to dampen various types of vibrations of the entire supporting system that arise due to negative impact roads.

In reality, it turns out that one of the above elements is a multifunctional device. So, for example, in a natural leaf spring suspension of the rear axle, the multi-leaf spring absorbs all lateral and longitudinal forces, in addition to the main function of sensing the normal reaction of the road. In addition, due to interleaf friction this element acts as an imperfect friction shock absorber. However, in the suspensions of modern cars, individual functions are performed by separate structural elements.

They quite rigidly set the character of the movement of the wheels relative to the road in this supporting system. This, in fact, is the basis that provides certain parameters of controllability and stability.

In modern cars, the suspension systems themselves are quite complex structures, as they combine hydraulic, mechanical, electrical and pneumatic elements. Quite often found with electronic control systems. This allows us to achieve a good and harmonious combination of all high parameters handling, comfort and safety.

1. The influence of suspension on the movement of the car

The choice of car fully corresponds to the features human character. This has long been proven by psychologists. The shape of the body, the paint color of the car, all the technical qualities of the engine, and, naturally, the driving characteristics of the car - this gradually or specifically corresponds internal state person when choosing a car.

In addition, the car’s suspension completely depends on the character of the car owner. All suspension performance characteristics are selected at the same time as purchasing the vehicle. It may be that later they will be finalized in the process of tuning the vehicle to suit their feelings and desires. In addition, the driver’s driving style determines the suspension itself: soft or hard.

The rigid suspension is reliable, which is a big plus for safe driving. The most important thing is that this suspension controls to the smallest detail all the nuances of vehicle maneuvering. However, a hard suspension has a negative impact on the driver’s health, since long-term use of a car with a hard suspension can cause problems with the spine. This is due to the fact that every bump or hole is fully felt by the driver in its rightful location.

Soft suspension makes the vehicle ride smoother. The car will move smoothly and comfortably for passengers, but only until the first turn if it is taken at high speed. This is due to the fact that at such a moment a certain complexity of management arises. If the ride takes a particularly long period, passengers may get motion sickness.

All conveyor cars that were born have already built-in and preset suspension parameters: hard, soft or medium suspension. The values ​​of such characteristics are constant. Only pneumatic suspension elements can change all the quality while driving on the road: it becomes harder or softer. The cost of such a suspension is not small, since it is considered the best of all potentially possible types.

2. How to make the suspension softer yourself

If the motorist is not interested in high speed, and priority is given to a comfortable ride, regularity and thoroughness during the period of movement on the road, then tuning, which will directly affect the chassis, can be done independently. If such a need arises, these recommendations may be useful in implementing the plans.

1. You can replace the shock absorbers. Install double-action gas-oil shock absorbers.

2. In addition, you can replace the springs. Old springs are replaced with new ones with variable coil pitch. Purchasing this kind of springs will not pose any special problems.

3. Replacement of tires. It is possible to solve the above problem by purchasing new tires that are equipped with a soft sidewall. This type of tire is good enough to absorb all the bumps. Nevertheless, it is also dangerous, since at high speed falling into a hole with uneven edges can seriously injure you.

4. In this option, it is necessary to replace the factory wheels with light alloy wheels with a large offset. These wheels will improve the comfort and handling of the car. The downside is excessive load on bearings, which causes their sudden failure.

5. Installing air suspension is a rather favorable option, since this is the most soft suspension. The problem may be high cost such a pendant. In addition, the problem lies in the heavy installation of this type of suspension. This suspension is reliable and the most convenient to use, as it provides high comfort when moving on various types of road sections.

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