Common Pitfalls to avoid
I recently had a conversation with a software vendor client who wanted to gamify the company’s software offering. His opening statement was, “we just need to add some points and badges, which seems easy.” His perspective is quite typical of many people—that gamification is technically a very easy problem to solve—and they are right. But as you now understand, the challenge of gamification is designing the player experience, not the technology. Many organizations proceed without clearly understanding the nature of the challenge, and many of them will fail. Below are the common reasons why gamified solutions might fail:
1. Unclear Business Outcomes:
A company that wanted to increase employee engagement through gamification but failed to define specific metrics might see no significant change or even a decline in engagement. Proper goals must be set, like a 15% increase in employee participation in a specific program.
2. Misaligned Goals:
For example, if a fitness app focuses solely on achieving the gym's target memberships but ignores individual fitness goals, users may feel disconnected and stop using it.
3. Lack of Emotional Engagement:
A loyalty program that only offers discounts without understanding customer preferences may fail to create a lasting connection. Understanding what emotionally resonates with the players, such as personalized experiences or community recognition, can drive deeper engagement.
4. Failing to manage the game economy:
Managing the game economy requires thoughtfulness. Value of Rewards: Imagine an online learning platform that distributes badges too easily. The badges lose their prestige, and learners are no longer motivated to earn them. Motivation to Use Points: If an employee recognition program has points that can't be redeemed for meaningful rewards, it becomes a meaningless system. Allowing employees to exchange points for tangible benefits ensures they see value in the process.
5. Jumping to the endgame:
Badges without context or criteria will lose value. For instance, if a language learning app gives badges for merely logging in rather than completing lessons, users won't feel a genuine sense of accomplishment.
6. Being inappropriately competitive:
Balancing competition and collaboration is key.
Misusing Competition: A sales contest that only rewards the top-performing salespeople might demoralize the rest. Instead, a tiered system that recognizes improvement can motivate all levels. Celebration vs. Competition: An example could be a company-wide wellness challenge where everyone who reaches personal goals feels celebrated, fostering a sense of community rather than rivalry.
7. Creating skill/challenge imbalances:
Easy Onboarding: Duolingo’s approach to teaching languages, with progressive challenges and immediate immersion, is an excellent example of creating an engaging learning curve. Sustained Engagement: A game that becomes too difficult too quickly can discourage players. Games like Candy Crush keep players engaged by balancing challenges and rewards over time.
8. Targeting the wrong audience:
Audience Understanding: A health app that rewards users with fast food coupons clearly misunderstands its audience's goals and values. Avoiding Generalization & Personal Bias: A tech company that uses geek culture references in its gamified training might alienate non-tech-savvy employees. Understanding the diverse interests within the target audience ensures more universal appeal.
9. Gamification Skills:
Without expertise, a gamified solution can flop. Investing in professional design or consultations with gamification experts can lead to a more engaging and effective experience.
10. Adding work to the work:
If a company implements a gamified system that's separate from regular workflow, employees may find it burdensome. Integrating gamification into existing platforms, like Slack, can enhance participation.
11. Gaming the system: Beware of hackers
Security measures must be in place. If a rewards program can be easily manipulated to gain undue points, it risks devaluing the entire system.
12. Promoting and launching:
Don’t expect that “if you build it, they will come.” Plan to invest time and money to market the gamified solution through the launch to develop a critical mass of players.
Effective promotion and launch strategies are essential. A health insurance company might introduce a wellness program with a soft launch to a targeted user group before rolling it out widely, ensuring that the design resonates with its audience.
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Chapter 9:
Conclusion
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