How to Gamify Your App?
Ah, games! Just the word brings back memories of board games, card games, video games, and more recently, smartphone games. One thing most people have in common across the globe is a love for games. Games are a way to shut out the world and its problems for a little while and just relax. So, when app developers discovered they could add game dynamics into apps, whoosh! Gamification was born.
Gamification is, simply put, taking elements of games that make them fun and putting those elements in an app. For example, a sports app that offers rewards/points that can be redeemed for a prize/coupon is a gamification. This takes the element of earning a reward and incorporates it into the app. Now, you may be asking yourself, “How do you gamify an app?” Let’s briefly talk about important points when gamifying an app…
- Objectives: When thinking about gamifying an app, it’s important to first set your objectives. Having clear objectives for why you want the app to be gamified (user engagement, retention, social interaction, etc.) will keep you on task when it comes time to brainstorm with a development team. For example, a sports club’s app has a goal of bringing in new users. To achieve this goal, a rewards system that awards free points to new users is established.
- Ecosystem Identification: Knowing your users and their patterns within your app is invaluable information. You need to identify the world your users are in and how they interact with your app. For instance, with a sports brand app, it wouldn’t make sense to offer cash back rewards. Instead, offering discount prices and coupons as rewards would be more suitable for your app and its target audience.
- Fast Rewards: Anyone can gamify an app with a rewards system. One thing that keeps users engaged in your app is the speed of reward accrual and redemption. Think about it like this: You earn 1 point for every day you log in. However, the smallest reward you can redeem with the points requires 500 points. Will you stick with the app for almost 2 years just to get a 15% off coupon? No way! Make sure your rewards are attainable and redeemable at reasonably fast pace!
- Simplification: When adding gamification methods to an app, it is important to keep it fun, interesting, and most importantly, simple! While some people may be technologically-inclined, most won’t be. So, you need to make sure the gamification elements you are adding to your app aren’t too complex/hard to figure out.
- Sharing Loops: Who doesn’t like bragging rights? It is human nature to be competitive. Give your users the chance to share their rewards, badges, trophies, etc. with friends through sharing loops. Now Timmy can prove that he has completed a virtual challenge first by sharing his score and trophy through email or social media!
Sports clubs and sports brands can be a part of app gamification more easily than other businesses. When fans come to your club’s app, they expect a level of gamification since it is focused on sports, the world of games. At FanTribe, we take your club’s app to a new level. We work with you to set objectives for your app and together we come up with gamification techniques that will meet those objectives. For brands, FanTribe offers a place where app gamification benefits your brand as well (through rewards, ads for discounts, etc.). We want all our clients, clubs and brands alike, to succeed and reach a massive fanbase that was just a dream before partnering with us. Contact FanTribe today and let us bring the fans to you.
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