Gamification: Beyond User-Centered Design
Human and games have an unbreakable bond. Games have a long rich history. They are part of the human experience.
Have you ever played Chess or Nine Men’s Morris? If yes, then you’ve played a game with more than a thousand years of history! Chess from India and Nine Men’s Morris from medieval England.
As early as 1950, computer scientists were using electronic machines to construct relatively simple game systems, such as Bertie the Brain in 1950 to play tic tac toe, or Nimrod in 1951 for playing Nim. These systems used either electronic light displays and mainly as demonstration systems at large exhibitions to showcase the power of computers at that time.
What is gamification?
In simple words, Gamification is the process of adding elements from games to non-game products such as websites and mobile applications. In the digital world, We use gamification for enhancing user experience and make more enjoyable websites and mobile applications.
Using gamification aims to create better engagement with client, customer, partners, employees to inspire collaboration, interaction, and learning among teams.
Gamification is also known as “Player-Centred Design”.
Why should you use gamification?
Gamification can enhance good ideas and good processes and help to increase the adoption and engagement of new Products. Gamification can be very helpful & useful in the enterprise context and help your business to grow.
4 Basic principles of gamification
Goal
Rules
Feedback
Motivation
Implementation of these principles
Let’s take the example of Uber. How Uber uses gamification to increase customer reach. I have added definition for a better understanding of these principles.
Goal
Define goals for users as goal give a sense of purpose to the users. Achieving them empowers us with a feeling of accomplishment.
For increasing user reach, Uber provide 3 free rides to every new user when they log in. but this is not the goal.
The goal is when you share a coupon code with the new user, Then you and the new user both get 3 more free rides. Each share will get you 3 free rides.
Rule
Rules restrict the means to achieving our goals. Obstacles always help us become more creative and allow us to appreciate the fun.
As we know uber provide 3 free rides to a new user but there are obstacles, you can use one free ride for maximum 50 rupees and the second rule is that you can only share coupon code with non-registered users.
Feedback
Feedback always helps users to see how well they are doing in the context of the goals you set for them and the rules that they’ve agreed upon.
As in every share of coupon code, Uber provide 3 free uber rides. So in the wallet uber show how many free rides you used and how many you still have in your wallet.
Motivation
Motivation always stands for needs, desires, wants or drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals.
For achieving their goal of 3 free rides, Every registered user tries to find new users to share their coupon code. This goal motivates every registered user to find & share coupon code with new users.
More apps using gamification
There are many apps using gamification for rewards, form registration, increasing customer reach etc.
Gaana
Gaana is the one-stop music streaming, made in India app for all your music needs. Gaana offers you free, unlimited online access to all your favourite Hindi Songs, Bollywood Music, Regional Music, Bhajans & Mantra, Hanuman Chalisa, Aigiri Nandini, Podcast, lyrics & Video songs.
Gaana gives you many tasks. When you completed that task you will earn coins. You can redeem these coins.
Todoist
Todoist is a productivity app that is capable of helping people with personal and professional productivity improvement. Karma points are awarded to people when they complete tasks, which then unlocks new “levels”.
Step Set Go
The concept is simple. Walk to earn SSG Coins. Use these SSG Coins to redeem awesome rewards.
Rewards can be exclusive discounts or amazing products that are completely FREE!
The aim is to make health, fitness and workouts fun again, even if you stay indoors.
1000 Basic steps (Indoor steps) = 1.25 SSG Coins
1000 Outdoor steps = 1.00 SSG Coins
Resource
I found many interesting blogs that can also help you to know about gamification in more details.
https://www.scavify.com/blog/gamification-app
https://clevertap.com/blog/best-examples-of-app-gamification/
https://www.interaction-design.org/courses/gamification-creating-addictive-user-experience. (course)
