A Beginner’s Guide to UX Gamification
Gamification is a UX trend that has been rising in popularity. This exciting design trend has UX designers changing how they design their products and giving users a more enjoyable experience when interacting with them.
If users don’t enjoy the experience your product gives them, then they don’t have a reason to keep using it or not look for better options that your competitors are providing. If you have yet to think about gamification in your UX design, then we are here to help.
We will examine what gamification is, how you can add it to your designs, and the benefits it will bring.
What Is Gamification?
Gamification is a design technique designers use to add game elements to a non-game product. This is done to make the product more engaging for the users and encourage them to continue interacting. Different types of gamification elements can be added, and these need to be chosen correctly by the designer for the products they are working on.
This design technique is used in every industry, from banking to health-tracking applications. UX gamification is added in different ways for different apps and knowing the proper methods for your product is essential, as it could otherwise negatively affect the user experience.
To reward users for choosing and using your product, you need to add gamification to its UX design.
The Benefits Of UX Gamification
Encouraging Users To Keep Using The Product
Gamification in UX design will make users want to keep interacting with your product. They will be motivated by the different methods to keep them engaged and wanting more. You need to start if your product still needs to do this.
There are many ways to encourage users. One way designers do it is by giving users badges or points when they achieve a goal in the product. This will give the users dopamine and make them want to keep returning and using your product. UX design agencies do this when designing products for their clients.
Adds Competition
Competition can motivate users to do more with your product. When people compete with each other, they will push each other to keep going. You can encourage competition among your product’s users by adding leaderboards and tracking the user’s scores.
It would help if you added a leaderboard or a similar technique to your product. It can be different from how other products do it.
Gives Your Product Higher User Engagement
User engagement is essential for any product to succeed. To keep users interested in your product and using it, you need to consider improving the user engagement level.
Types Of Game Mechanics You Can Add To Your UX Designs
Not all kinds of UX gamification will work for your product. Specific game elements are more accessible to incorporate than others, and you should start with them.
Progress Bar
Letting users track their progress is an integral part of any gamification technique. You need to make progress clear and help users track their progress in achieving their goals. You can have many progress bars or just one. Find out what your users care about, and then create progress bars.
Leader Boards
This is an excellent way to add competition to your product and among the users who interact with it. Letting everyone see who they’re competing against will help boost your user engagement numbers.
When people are competing against their friends and other users, they will be more likely to keep returning to your product.
Badges And Stickers
People like to see their progress measured in different ways. One way you can do that is by giving them and displaying badges and stickers when they complete various goals. Users may like sharing these achievements with friends and others on social media. If you want to give people another reason to achieve their goals and accomplish everything they need using your product, then adding this game element technique will help you.
Points
This is a familiar game design technique designers use in all industries, products, or services. Giving points to users after they accomplish a goal will provide them with dopamine and encourage them to keep going if you want your users to engage more with what your product offers, then this is an easy technique to implement.
You can give points for accomplishing goals, accessing the product daily, and any other milestone. This will encourage the user to keep coming back and using the product. You need to ensure you give only a few points or a little. Find the right balance and keep motivating your users to engage with what your product provides.
Sharing Achievements
Give your users the ability to share their achievements on social media. It would help if you made this easy to do. All it should take is a click of a button. People want to share their progress, and you need to make it easy for them to do this.
Good luck!
