user experience

Gamification - what is it and why is it good for the user experience

Including gamification, or "spelifiering", on your website has become increasingly popular for creating engagement, loyalty and, not least, improving the user experience. In part 1 of our mini-series we tell you more about what it is and five benefits. In part 2 we explain how you can gamify your digital service.

What is gamification about

Gamification, or spelifiering, is a term used within the gaming industry but which has become increasingly common in marketing, web and app development. In short, it means adding game elements and game design to your site or app to engage and motivate people to reach their goals. By taking advantage of what engages and attracts in games, you can create a memorable digital experience. It's about working with positive reinforcement to thereby increase users' engagement, gain increased loyalty and create a fun and pleasant user experience.

Here are some game elements that can be used:

Goals - the user reaches a target.
Progress - showing advancement.
Challenges and competitions - users strive to win or achieve something. Individually or in collaboration with others.
Motivating rewards - users receive something in exchange for an action. e.g. points, badges, bonuses or encouraging messages.

Gamification - vad är det? 5 fördelar för användare

1. Increased engagement

One of the main advantages of gamification is that it can create increased engagement among users. Game mechanics that generate active engagement have the ability to attract new users and retain existing ones. It can also make users spend more time on your website and help you create a better user experience.

2. Creating motivation

UX Gamification creates motivation among users through encouragement and positive reinforcement. It can involve different types of rewards that give them a sense of achievement and progress. You can motivate users by rewarding them with points after they complete a task or by giving them more exclusive offers if they reach a certain level. But the visitor must not be disappointed and the reward has to be worth striving for.

3. Creates a memorable experience

Another advantage of gamification is that it can create a better user experience that is both more fun, more interesting and more memorable. This, in turn, can make your website, app or service more competitive — helping you be remembered amid the noise of competitors and brands. So make the experience both fun and personal, while encouraging your customer to convert.

4. Stronger customer relationships

People generally remember things better when they interact with something than when they have only heard or seen information. Interactions therefore often create a stronger relationship with the company. Gamification is therefore a good tool for packaging information so that your visitors remember it. In addition to giving users extra value and a more memorable experience, gamification can give you the opportunity to get to know your customers — what they like and what motivates them to shop or consume information.

5. Increased profitability

By motivating and creating engagement you increase the chance that the visitor will stay longer than they normally would. Gamification with competitions and challenges can also give them a reason to visit the site regularly. When they spend more time the likelihood that they will convert also increases. For example, that they make more purchases in your online store, that they consume more information, etc.

Summary

Gamification can be seen as a process, a strategy or a tool to make the user experience more attractive and memorable. It’s about motivation through positive reinforcement. By leveraging what engages and attracts people in games, you can make interaction on a website more fun, create a more enjoyable user experience, build stronger customer relationships and increase profitability.

Need help engaging your users? Contact us and we’ll help you!