A design-based study was conducted in iterative cycles to test the effectiveness of the updated goal-access-feedback-challenge-collaboration (updated-GAFCC) gamification design model. The test-bed was a 10-week undergraduate introductory information management course. Students from three consecutive school years participated in the study, with the control group studying the conventional course without gamification (first year), treatment group_1 studying a gamified course following the original GAFCC model (second year), and treatment group_2 studying an optimized gamified course following the updated-GAFCC model (third year). The results of the design-based study indicated that (i) the updated-GAFCC model and the GAFCC model were effective in enhancing students' learning achievements and task completion; (ii) the updated-GAFCC model was more successful in generating higher quality thinking artifacts than the GAFCC model; (iii) there were fewer lower-quality submissions in the updated-GAFCC condition than in the GAFCC condition; and (iv) 89% of the interviewed students in the updated-GAFCC condition were satisfied with the overall learning design, and felt that the gamified learning activities facilitated their learning. Overall, the findings contribute to our understanding of how pedagogical strategies can be incorporated into the theory-based design model to optimize learning experiences and academic outcomes.