🕹️ Gamification:
Adding game-like features to make activities more fun.
Product teams will utilize elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to encourage engagement with a product or service.
It's really effective, and can be addictive.
There are many types of gamification—almost anything can be gamified.
For example:
XP and streaks
Duolingo will use 'XP' (experience points) and 'streaks' to incentivize people to use their app more.
This leans into the craving to maintain their streak, or unlock the next 'level'.
Confetti celebrations
Early in 2021, Robinhood removed their confetti animation, amid scrutiny that it was overly-gamifying the process of investing.
i.e., the confetti created a reward loop of "invest, and see that awesome celebration"—even if it was a terrible investment.
Leaderboards
Peloton uses public leaderboards to incentivize you to push slightly harder during a workout, and adds the mechanism of competition.
✅ Churn
Effective gamification can reduce churn, as it incentivizes people to keep playing.
"Okay, just one more milestone".
✅ Habits
It's incredibly easy to create habits around gamification, as the loop is really rewarding.