Gamification: Fixing Its Flaws and Benchmarking Social App Growth

Gamification: Fixing Its Flaws and Benchmarking Social App Growth

Introduction:
Gamification has become a popular strategy for engaging users and promoting certain behaviors within apps and platforms. However, many gamification efforts have fallen short, resulting in ineffective and disengaging experiences. In this article, we will explore the flaws of gamification and discuss how to fix them. Additionally, we will delve into benchmarking growth for social apps, highlighting key metrics for success.

Flaw 1: Abuse of Points, Badges, and Leaderboards:
One of the most common and annoying aspects of gamification is the overuse of points, badges, and leaderboards. Many product designers attach virtual currencies to various actions, assuming that people will collect them for the sake of collecting. However, this approach fails to provide meaningful motivation or intrinsic value. Users need a clear understanding of why they should rank up, collect, or conquer. Instead, gamification should focus on providing genuine rewards and incentives that align with users' goals and desires.

Flaw 2: Displacement of Rewards:
Offering rewards for behaviors that should happen spontaneously can backfire. When users are motivated by external rewards, their intrinsic motivation diminishes, leading to less overall motivation. Gamification should not rely solely on extrinsic rewards but rather foster a sense of intrinsic motivation by making the desired behaviors inherently rewarding and meaningful.

Flaw 3: Condescending Tone:
Many gamified systems adopt a patronizing tone to keep users motivated. However, this can come off as insincere and artificial. Instead, gamification should aim to create a genuine sense of accomplishment and progress. Users should feel empowered, smarter, and more capable when engaging with a gamified experience.

Fixing Gamification: Successful Examples

1. Duolingo: Adding Fun to Desired Learning:
   Duolingo's success stems from its ability to provide a fun and engaging way of learning languages, something people already wanted to do. The difficulty levels are strategically balanced, allowing users to make mistakes and experience a sense of unpredictability that keeps them engaged. By aligning gamification with existing user desires, Duolingo creates a more compelling and effective experience.

2. Sublime Text: Empowering Power Users:
   Sublime Text caters to power users by providing advanced features and customization options. Rather than relying on points or badges, Sublime Text makes users feel smarter and more capable by enabling them to discover and utilize these advanced features. The focus is on empowering users and enhancing their productivity, resulting in a more satisfying and meaningful gamified experience.

3. GitHub: A True Leaderboard and Valuable Currency:
   GitHub utilizes gamification in a unique way by offering a true leaderboard and a valuable currency in the form of contribution points. Users gain recognition and status among their peers based on their contributions to open-source projects. This approach not only fosters healthy competition but also rewards users with tangible benefits, such as job opportunities and professional growth.

Actionable Advice:

1. Design for "Flow":
   When implementing gamification, aim to create a state of "flow" for users. This means designing experiences that strike the right balance between challenge and skill. Users should feel fully immersed and engaged, with tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult. This optimal state of flow increases motivation and enjoyment.

2. Enable User-Defined Standards for Progress:
   Allow users to define their own standards for progress and success within a gamified system. This customization empowers users to set goals that are meaningful to them, increasing their intrinsic motivation and investment in the experience.

3. Visualize Progress and Accomplishment:
   Instead of relying solely on badges or virtual currencies, design gamified experiences that visually showcase users' progress and accomplishments. Seeing tangible evidence of their achievements enhances the intrinsic reward of completing tasks and motivates users to continue engaging with the app or platform.

Benchmarking Growth for Social Apps:

When evaluating the success of social apps, several key metrics can help gauge performance and identify areas for improvement:

1. Daily Active Users (DAUs) or Weekly Active Users (WAUs):
   For most consumer social apps, the core metric is DAUs, indicating the number of users engaging with the product daily. WAUs can also be acceptable for apps with less frequent use cases. Organic growth should be prioritized, as it indicates a strong product that users naturally want to engage with.

2. DAU/MAU Ratio:
   The ratio of DAUs to Monthly Active Users (MAUs) provides insights into user retention and habit-forming behaviors. Best-in-class social apps have an L-ness curve that "smiles" or skews right, indicating users making the product a regular part of their lives.

3. Retention Rates:
   Monitoring n-day retention, such as d1, d7, and d30, reveals how many users continue to engage with the app over time. Cohort analysis can unveil trends and improvements in retention, indicating the strength of network effects and the app's increasing value as more users join.

Conclusion:
Gamification, when done right, can be a powerful tool for engaging users and driving desired behaviors. By addressing the flaws of gamification, such as the abuse of points and rewards, displacement of intrinsic motivation, and condescending tones, developers can create more meaningful and effective experiences. Additionally, benchmarking growth for social apps through core metrics like DAUs, retention rates, and user habits can help identify areas for improvement and ensure long-term success. Ultimately, the key lies in aligning gamification with user desires, providing genuine value, and fostering intrinsic motivation.