Gamification – the millennial buzz word that has garnered a lot of attention of late. Google it up and Wikipedia will be the first to add it. “Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts.” Is there a better way to state it!
To put it in other words, gamification makes mundane tasks interesting, by awarding the users points or badges, taking them a level up and nudging their competitive bones.
Problem
Any platform where a lot people from different backgrounds are involved, constant and overall engagement is always an issue. It becomes all the more incommodious when the stakeholders involved are from different cultures and languages. It becomes quite challenging to draw users from their shells and to make them a buzzing part of the community.
Gamification Solution
However, as humans, constant and most importantly, instant gratification reassures each one of us. Like any conventional gaming platform, bring that to apps, and reward points to users based on their activities and interactions.
Points – User actions on a mobile app include adding posts on the timeline, sharing their responses through Polls, Quizzes and much more. Use this to your advantage by awarding points on the basis of the complexity of the activity performed.
Levels – Based on the points secured by the user, they can be taken a level up or down. As they participate and engage more, they move ahead and cross levels and so does their sense of achievement and competitive drive.
Badges – On the basis of these levels, users can be awarded badges. Initially, they could be tagged as Beginners and as they accumulate more points, badges such as Advanced, Expert, Guru can be awarded. Badges can be displayed on the user’s profile where their achievement are tagged and displayed.
Leaderboard – Users can then be ranked on the Leaderboard according to their points. This makes them wary of others achievements and motivates them to participate more. If the users are teamed up, then the leaderboard drives home a sense of community and team spirit.
Conclusion
All things considered, gamification if used right, can build a sense of community among the users and encourage them to be active contributors. If the tasks are annoying, then no matter how many ever points are awarded, the app will fail to indulge its audience. Instead of a single massive end goal, award points at regular intervals so that they do not lose interest or sense of achievement and move on. And always make sure that users are not just participating for the sake of flaunting their points.
Conveyed right, these user actions can also provide feedback for your business. Gamification can be the next big thing for your business by increasing efficiency and interactivity. Make sure you capitalize on it!
