Abstract
This study investigates how creative professionals use and evaluate project management tools through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), with specific attention to the ethical implications of gamification. A survey of 14 creative practitioners examined tool adoption patterns, alignment with creative workflows, valued features, and motivational drivers. Results show that no single platform dominates usage, indicating persistent switching behaviour driven by the search for autonomy-supportive systems. Trello, Notion, Monday, and Jira retain strong mindshare, but none fully satisfy creative workflow needs, with participants reporting misalignment between tool structure and creative rhythms. Features supporting clarity, progress visibility, collaboration, and flow preservation were consistently prioritised, whilst competitive gamification elements were largely rejected. These findings demonstrate that creative professionals value intrinsic motivators above extrinsic mechanisms and emphasise the need for ethical, autonomy-supportive gamification in project management design.