Gamification

Try letting people earn a free pass every few days, like a loyalty scheme, so one missed day doesn't end their streak and gamified progress feels less fragile.

Settings screen for streak wildcards. A mascot explains wildcards let you skip a day without losing your streak; an editable field sets "Streak required to get an additional wildcard" in days, with a summary of the reward.

Example from

One option is to group small daily tasks into a monthly quest with its own reward, so gamification gives people both a near goal and a longer one to aim for.

Gamified quests page. A monthly challenge intro, "Complete 10 quests this June to help Lucy find the hidden treasure chest!", leads to a "Quests" tab with a 0/10 progress bar, countdown, and "Daily Quests" with individual progress and chest rewards.

Example from

Duolingo

Consider offering a treasure chest to open at key milestones, with feature tips inside, so the gamified reward also teaches people something useful.

Reward screen. "Unlock a treasure box" asks the user to tap one of three chests; opening one reveals "YOU UNLOCKED A PRO TIP" with a playful creativity fact and an "All done" button, gamifying task completion.

Example from

Ahead

For a task usually done alone, it may help to compare someone's results with other users, so gamification turns finishing it into a win worth celebrating.

Shareable achievement card. An "Inbox Zero Champion" badge for an email app highlights "I'm in the top 1%!", ranking the user among the highest for lifetime Inbox Zero achievements to encourage pride and sharing.

Example from

Superhuman

Possible impacts

Gamified streaks and passes could make people reluctant to lose the progress they've built, which may reduce churn as they keep returning to protect it.

As seen in:

Superhuman You're a champion

Rewarding milestones with tips or badges tied to specific actions might nudge people into trying features they'd otherwise skip.

As seen in:

Duolingo Creating medium-term goals

Daily streaks and returning bonuses could help users build a habit of coming back each day, as gamification turns regular use into visible progress.

As seen in:

Seeing coins or points pile up after each task may motivate users to finish dull jobs, because every small step starts to feel like progress.

As seen in:

Celebrating achievements and progress as they happen could turn routine tasks into something more fun, so people enjoy using the product more.

As seen in:

Consultant to 100+ companies

Written by Peter Ramsey

Published: 11/08/2023

How to utilise this in your designs

When someone completes a task, you could animate a coin flying from it into their balance, so rewards visibly pile up, and let anyone who dislikes gamification switch it off.

Example from

Try letting people earn a free pass every few days, like a loyalty scheme, so one missed day doesn't end their streak and gamified progress feels less fragile.

Example from

One option is to group small daily tasks into a monthly quest with its own reward, so gamification gives people both a near goal and a longer one to aim for.

Example from

Duolingo

Consider offering a treasure chest to open at key milestones, with feature tips inside, so the gamified reward also teaches people something useful.

Example from

Ahead

For a task usually done alone, it may help to compare someone's results with other users, so gamification turns finishing it into a win worth celebrating.

Example from

Superhuman

Possible impacts

Gamified streaks and passes could make people reluctant to lose the progress they've built, which may reduce churn as they keep returning to protect it.

As seen in:

Superhuman You're a champion

Rewarding milestones with tips or badges tied to specific actions might nudge people into trying features they'd otherwise skip.

As seen in:

Duolingo Creating medium-term goals

Daily streaks and returning bonuses could help users build a habit of coming back each day, as gamification turns regular use into visible progress.

As seen in:

Seeing coins or points pile up after each task may motivate users to finish dull jobs, because every small step starts to feel like progress.

As seen in:

Celebrating achievements and progress as they happen could turn routine tasks into something more fun, so people enjoy using the product more.

As seen in: