Gamifying your mobile app sounds like an exciting strategy. However, what exactly does it mean to gamify your mobile app? What does app gamification strategy look like? Here’s an overview that will answer these questions and more.
WHAT IS MOBILE APP GAMIFICATION?
We live in a time where attention spans are getting smaller, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep users engaged and motivated. That is where gamification comes in. Gamification appeals to the basic human psyche and the need for positive reinforcement. When we gamify something, completing tasks or certain behaviors can be rewarded. This creates the desire to want more within the user. In the context of a mobile app, once a user is familiar with your app, you can keep them engaged and entertained with gamification. It keeps their mind active and makes them pay attention as they use your app.
WHAT ARE SOME GAMIFICATION IDEAS FOR AN APP?
There are many ways and tools to gamify your mobile application. These provide a more interesting of keeping your users involved and ensure a better recall. Some of these tools include:
REWARDS:
They make people feel like they are being appreciated for something they did, which otherwise might have simply been a mundane task. This builds app loyalty over time and the more rewards a user collects, the more likely they are to come back. GPay, Google’s digital payment app, uses a similar principle of rewarding you with cashback or even discount coupons for other products and services.
QUIZZES:
If quizzes are something fun that you can include in your strategy, then you definitely should! Make it interesting, but also fun for the user. Quizzes can also be used to gather important data about your user base. If given the option, users are also very likely to share quizzes with their contacts outside your mobile app.
VIRTUAL GOODS:
Sometimes instead of cashback and discounts, one may receive a virtual intangible item such as a virtual class or points like flyer points from the airline that you fly with.
BADGES:
These are positive reinforcements that encourage users to engage more by giving them recognition and making them believe that they have accomplished something. These badges can also be shared on one’s profile and shown to others, making them a prestige value item.
LEADERBOARDS:
They work on the same principle of positive reinforcement via recognition. The more you engage or participate, the more you get the chance to appear on top of the leaderboard, whether with only friends or even with strangers.
PROGRESS BARS:
They help determine the length and step of the process and motivate you to complete the task by showing the few steps left to complete.
SOCIAL INTERACTION:
It provides people with the chance to meet complete strangers and compete against them by trying to score better or fare better on a task.
APPS THAT USE GAMIFICATION EFFECTIVELY
DUOLINGO
The language e-learning app uses a mix of gamification tools like leaderboards, social interaction, badges, and quizzes.
FOREST
This productivity app is calm and rewards the person by planting a tree in a virtual forest for 25 minutes of productivity. The variant of the tree and the time duration can both customized, and more customizations get unlocked with the premium version.
CRED
In essence, Cred is an app to pay and track your credit card bills but it’s also one with amazing rewards in the form of badges, vouchers and virtual goods. Not only can you stay on top of your credit card bills and the points accumulated on them, but you can also earn a lot more rewards when you pay those bills via your app.
FITBIT
Not only is the device super popular, but, the app is the true genius behind the fitness tracker. The number of steps you take is celebrated and you can compete with your friends for better performance.
LYMPO
This app lets you make real-time money in the form of Amazon and other gift vouchers that you can redeem simply by walking! The more you walk, the bigger your reward!
All in all, gamifying your app can be a serious game-changer. Whether to grab the attention of new users, or to retain and make loyal users out of old ones. The potential of your app is something you can untap with a gamification strategy. If the budget of such an app is on your mind, check out our App Development Cost Calculator or for any other questions, or to get started on your app, reach out to our expert team at Valere.
Valere is an award-winning software development agency that has built over 300 top-rated applications for startups and Fortune 500 companies in all verticals like healthcare, finance, sports, fitness, education, and more. Their apps have been featured by the New York Times, and have been consistently recognized as Apple App Store’s top featured apps, TechRadar, and Google Play Store’s top featured apps! Schedule a call with us today to learn how we can help your team create the perfect software or application that can Accelerate Your Business Goals!
