How do you apply gamification principles to non-game domains, such as education, health, or work?

It's important to identify the business metrics that will ultimately determine the success of the gamified experience. The more specific the better. Once the metrics have been identified, then determine what behaviours the target users would need to carry out that would directly contribute to those metrics.

For instance, you can introduce a virtual currency that users can earn through specific actions such as sharing product reviews, referring friends, or completing their profiles. This currency can then be used to unlock discounts or special offers, incentivizing customers to continue engaging with your platform. Additionally, introducing leaderboards or other social elements can foster a sense of community, making customers feel more connected and motivated to compete with their peers.

By recognizing both explicit needs and subconscious motivations, gamification can be customized to have a deeper impact. By aligning gamification with financial education objectives and being mindful of cultural differences, a more inclusive and effective strategy can be developed.

To apply gamification principles in health, start by creating personalized health goals, acting as "missions" for individuals. Include point systems or rewards to mark progress toward these goals, encouraging healthy behaviors. Use immediate feedback to keep users informed about their progress and motivated. Develop challenges or healthy competitions among friends or groups to increase motivation through socialization. Implement levels or badges that represent different health milestones achieved, promoting a sense of accomplishment. Finally, ensure the experience is personalized and adaptable, meeting individual needs and abilities, thus enhancing effectiveness and engagement in personal health management.

Often many jump into mechanics and ideas without considering the ramifications to the overall design. Starting with the business metrics and cascade it down into desired behaviours BEFORE adding mechanics helps ensure better and focused design. In terms of player types, it is often to look at similarities and design an easy to understand rubric for defining player types and designing based on that group. For example, having competitive elements for a competition & independent group may be helpful for for a more compassion or collective group, maybe group quests and tribe competition may be more helpful.

Once the desired behaviours have been identified, the designer should choose game elements that can act as triggers for those behaviours in the experience. As tempting as it may be to implement popular game elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards, they may not necessarily be the right triggers for those identified behaviours. Know your target audience and what game elements they would respond to in order to drive those desired behaviours in the experience. This would typically involve some iteration and playtesting in order to determine the right combination of game elements and overall balance of the experience.

To ensure the success of your gamification efforts, it's crucial to keep analyzing data and iterating on your approach. Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as user engagement, conversion rates, and churn rates can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your gamification strategy. Regularly gathering feedback from users and staying attuned to their evolving needs will help you refine and optimize your gamified experiences. As a result, you'll be better positioned to cultivate a loyal customer base and drive sustainable growth in the eCommerce and SaaS startup landscapes.

It is important to understand that different game mechanics trigger different player core motivations. So it is best to choose game mechanics that are relevant to the players core drives. In addition, consider how the different mechanics interact and affect with one another and align it with the business metrics an desired behaviours.

Gamification theory is rooted in psychology. You have to identify the core behaviors you want to reinforce, and once that is aligned - see what core drives relates to those behaviors and choose gamification elements accordingly. For example, if you are a healthtech app and you are seeing irregularity in usage and want people to add their activities more frequently and also be more active, then, try adding points and leaderboards. It provides a sense of accomplishment and competition. Another example - say you are an education platform and you see people drop off as the course gets difficult - break the lesson into quests. This gives a consistent sense of accomplishment to the user and also make the next target look more achievable.

Understanding how the brain's reward systems work can help in using elements like points and rewards more effectively. Incorporating a currency system inspired by finance and business knowledge, gamification can simulate financial decision-making in non-game settings. This not only boosts user engagement but also teaches practical financial skills. Therefore, let's not just pick game elements for their usual motivational features, but also include economically informed aspects to create a gamification strategy that connects well with users in various non-game fields.

The best extrinsic rewards underscore intrinsic drivers: competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Self-determination theory). For example, you points for their accomplishments or to underscore what success looks like and this helps a user feel skilled and motivated.

In health and fitness apps, a delicate balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is key. Initially, extrinsic motivation, like rewards and badges for hitting fitness milestones, entices users to begin their health journey. However, for long-term success, intrinsic motivation is indispensable. As users start to genuinely enjoy their workouts, feel healthier, and take satisfaction in their progress, they develop intrinsic motivation to sustain their fitness regimen. The synergy of both motivation types ensures users not only initiate but also maintain their engagement with the app, ultimately contributing to improved health and well-being.

Wonderful point, extrinsic motivation design often work in the short term and fast results while intrinsic motivation design can produce more long-term gain and sustainability. Another point I would recommend considering would be white hat and black hat gamification. White hat gamification creates a sense of empowerment but lack a sense of urgency while conversely, Black hat gamification creates urgency but can leave a bad taste in the users. Balancing both of these will be another key in a good experience design.

By recognizing how intrinsic motivation aligns with communal values, gamification in non-game settings can promote a sense of community. Introducing collaborative challenges and shared rewards can tap into group intrinsic motivation, creating a social bond that boosts engagement and sustainability. It's also important to consider cultural variations in how rewards and recognition are perceived, as what motivates one culture may not be the same for another.

The necessity for entertaining content is most simply and easily illustrated by the example of advergaming solutions. The greatest advantage of entertaining and fun advergaming solutions is that they capture the users' attention and engage them with the brand message through proactivity – unlike most traditional marketing tools. The commitment starts from the user side, making the involvement much stronger and allowing the target audience to be addressed more effectively.

Another effective strategy is to foster a sense of community and collaboration among your users. In the ECommerce context, you could create a social platform where customers share their experiences, reviews, and styling tips. This encourages them to be more invested in your brand and provides valuable user-generated content that can be leveraged in your marketing efforts. For SaaS startups, you might establish a forum or knowledge-sharing platform where users can exchange best practices, troubleshoot issues, and even collaborate on projects. This not only boosts engagement but also creates a valuable support network that encourages customer retention.

Understanding how the brain works and how emotions are triggered allows us to design visually appealing interfaces that stimulate the senses. This not only makes the experience more fun but also evokes positive emotions, making it more immersive. Additionally, by incorporating elements that challenge the brain's ability to recognize patterns and seek novelty, we can keep users interested and delighted.

To ensure the ongoing success of your gamification efforts, make it a priority to stay informed about the latest trends, tools, and best practices in the industry. Attend conferences, join online forums, and collaborate with peers to exchange ideas and insights. Staying ahead of the curve will enable you to refine your gamification strategies proactively, capitalizing on new opportunities and addressing potential issues before they become problematic.

Like any design work or design thinking, it is often an iterative process and requires constant improvements, testing, and adaptation to change. Work with other groups to generate ideas and make things interesting.

In my experience at Wharton Interactive, we gamified the learning through Wharton Faculty simulations. I call this a chocolate-covered broccoli. For parents like me, we know children don't like broccoli but love chocolate. So, with this in mind, you create a learning journey with gamification. While flying in space, bargaining with a rug seller, or building a new tech business as an entrepreneur, you create interactive and immersive gamified learning. The new generations are digital natives and want the tools they are used to growing with. Bringing them into a class, virtually or not, for the new generation does not count as learning.

When i designed for a learning programme, I often inject some unpredictable or unexpected mechanics such as "Sudden Pop Quiz" or "Special mission". Naturally they come with their own corresponding rewards. This often keep things fresh and keep participants in toes for better engagement and learning.

In summary, the successful application of gamification in the ECommerce and SaaS startup industries requires a dynamic, iterative, and data-driven approach. By regularly testing, evaluating, and updating your gamification design, and staying informed about industry trends and best practices, you can create a more engaging and effective user experience that promotes customer loyalty, boosts sales, and drives sustainable growth.