Gamification is the art of applying concepts and mechanics found in videogames and boardgames to applications designed for another purpose. Gamification in a business setting often takes the form of incentivising competition, attainment, and productivity. Users are encouraged to meet goals and beat challenges to receive rewards. While the rewards might be superficial or cosmetic (such as points, achievement badges, or customisable options for the program), gamification has been proven to help boost employee productivity and competitiveness.
Here are four key ways in which gamifying your in-house apps and consumer software can aid your business.
1) User Retention
Users are more likely to keep using an app they enjoy and develop an emotional connection with. Involving the user directly through game elements helps make their experience more interesting and enjoyable, while giving them a reason to keep returning to your software.
2) Sales Targets & KPI Competitions
Meeting key performance indicators and raw sales targets can be a challenge at the best of times. Why not turn attainment into a game? Through tracking statistical data and creating a public leaderboard for attainment, employees are rewarded for working towards collective goals. At the same time, gamification allows each individual listed on the scoreboard(s) to feel a sense of achievement and a need to compete to beat other users, or improve on a personal best.
3) Feedback Systems
Another concept often borrowed by business software from videogames is the idea of an ‘ideal’ performance for a set task. If you have a routine (yet variable) digital task that needs to be completed by the user, setting metrics for high attainment, creating tutorials, and monitoring progress allows you to feed automated, tailored advice to each user. This process gradually trains the user in the ‘right’ way to play the game, improving their performance.
4) Awards
Software can also use gamification to track exceptional performance. Better data monitoring and setting strict parameters allows you to automate the managerial task of handing out rewards for exceptional performances. As well as making the system fairer, it can save money and time by switching your employees to ‘in-app’ awards such as badges and titles.
A gamified software award system can also be used to keep employees using your programs regularly. A common tactic is to hand out badges or small improvements to the user’s profile for ‘streaks’ of use or good attainment (typically for periods of seven days or more).
Find Out More
Do you have an app that you think would work better if it was gamified? Do you want to build engaging software from the ground up that reaches users? Talk to Brandon Cross today. Our developers and programmers have all the expertise you need to realise your vision.
Image source: Pexels