App retention, engagement and everything between

Designing mobile apps that will achieve high retention and engagement is a key challenge for developers. Introducing several gamification elements and techniques in the design process can do a great deal to help reach that goal. This session will cover some gamification techniques that can be used in any app. Over the course of this session we will discuss several examples of actual apps and how they used gamification not only in order to boost retention and engagement, but also help with user acquisition. Looking at topics ranging from the evolution of users’ feelings, to social influence, to the unpredictability and variety of rewards, to the manipulation of user behaviour and scarcity, we will aim to provide an overview on how to design apps that engage users with the use of gamification.

Transcript

4. Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts
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6. The sense of ownership, the feeling that something is yours is well recognized in psychology. It can be used by publishers in several ways to engage and build a captivated audience.
7. Give every user control over the whole process of adjusting the app experience Customization “Make each user feel at home” as seen on
8. Give the ability to customize an app. That can alter the entire user experience and eventually the user’s feelings toward that app. Customization “Make each user feel at home” as seen on
9. How easy is to tear yourself away from a product that knows you very well and move on to one that does not know you at all? Personalization “An environment that learns” as seen on
10. Keeping track of a user’s actions (history) is a great way to create a sense of ownership. Personalization “Track & show user history” as seen on
11. Allow users to take actions and save things of interest, progress, or status for later use. This creates the illusion of commitment; an illusion that will bring the user back to the app. Save for later “Invest in commitment” as seen on
12. Save for later “Invest in commitment” Saving or adding preferences and alerts creates an anchor point of reference that will bring users back in the future. as seen on
13. Track a user’s progress and give them the option to save it. This also helps create a feeling of commitment, and bring the user back to try and increase his status and achievements. Save for later “Track user’s progress” as seen on
14. Allow a user to record his performance and activities and compare them with previous ones, as well as challenge those with new activities. Save for later “Challenge previous performance” as seen on
15. When a user comes back to an app to find that the developer took into account one of his suggestions and made a change, that user is “hooked”. Feedback “Turn user into an active part of the process” as seen on
16. The notion of “catching them all” prompts users to go after all the items in a collection. You have to catch ’em all! “Introduce a collection” as seen on
17. Loyalty schemes can turn occasional users to loyal visitors. You have to catch ’em all! “Introduce a loyalty scheme” as seen on
18. Humans are by nature social beings. They tend to group and socialize with others that share their interests. These common interests are how people meet each other, get introduced to new friends, compete with each other, show off their accomplishments, exchange knowledge and evolve themselves.
19. If you see a funny gif that made you laugh, you are much more likely to click on a share button if one is easily accessible, and share the gif and the way it made you feel with your friends. Let them bring the others in! The promoters “Share a moment of joy” as seen on
20. Allow users to easily share their results/performance in the activity they participated in, with the rest of the world. This will drive their motivation and gain them more support. Let them bring the others in! The promoters “Brag about it. Show off” as seen on
21. Allows users to ask their friends for help. This can increase awareness of the app and drive users in. Let them bring the others in! The promoters “Ask for help” as seen on
22. Encourage users to share an app or send an invite to their social networks in exchange for a reward. as seen on Let them bring the others in! The promoters “Get rewards for asking others to join”
23. The introduction of a kind of referral scheme can help the virality of an app and also drive user acquisition. Let them bring the others in! The promoters “Referral schemes as a recruitment process” as seen on
24. Offer users rewards if a certain goal is met, such as a specific number of people achieving a goal. Let them bring the others in! The promoters “Driving more and more users to achieve a specific goal" as seen on
25. Allow users to react to each other’s content, like status updates, photos, links shared by friends, comments, and advertisements. Let them interact! The socializers “Allow reactions to other user’s content” as seen on
26. Allow in-app chat or commenting on other users’ actions. This is a great way to initiate communication in a group. Let them interact! The socializers “Moving from passive to active communication” as seen on
27. Allow users to ask other members of an app questions and receive responses. This can actually make an app really engaging. Let them interact! The socializers “Allow them to ask questions” as seen on
28. Add leaderboards or other scoring schemes that monitor a user’s app performance within the community. This can actually build competitive feelings and make users more engaged in the usage of the app. Let them interact! The socializers “Let them compete with each other” as seen on
29. Allow users to see how their friends actually perform. This can “bind” them to the app, making loyal users out of them. Compete or compare! The ambitious & curious “Let them see what their friends are doing” as seen on
30. An app’s user base is a scale-down model of society. Show them what is currently trending in a specific app’s world. Compete or compare! The ambitious & curious “Show them what others are talking about” as seen on
31. In behavioural economics, scarcity is a well known approach that drives engagement and desire in a product but can also lead to some ‘irrational’ decisions by users.
32. Introduce components or features that are rare and difficult to acquire. This will make users eager to have them. “Only a few exist out there!” as seen on
33. Build a state of scarcity through a limited edition version. “The limited edition” as seen on
34. A scarcity effect can manipulate user desire and promote anticipation in potential app users. “You can’t have it!” as seen on
35. Allow only a few people to reach/gain specific privileges like power moderation. Leveling up is a challenge and this can drive daily engagement and participation. “This power is only for the few that will earn it” as seen on
36. Create offers on specific dates and within specific timeframes, in a first-come, first-served mode, until stock lasts. “First-come, first-served until it runs out!” as seen on
37. Prompt users with a limited time offer to drive desired actions. “Limited time offer” as seen on
38. You have to wait..Boosters can thrive when strategically placed in moments of silence. “Moments of silence - Boosters” as seen on
39. Today’s deal not only triggers users to make purchases but also attracts new visitors daily; users that are looking to see what the Today’s deal is. as seen on “Today’s deal”
40. A regular promotion can attract people’s attention and bring them to an app every day. “Free App Of The Day” as seen on
41. Providing restricted access to content as part of the app’s design can sometimes be the key feature to an app’s success. “Limited time access” as seen on
42. Heighten the feeling of missing out on a rare opportunity. This can keep users coming back to the app and motivate them to take action. “Driving decisions” as seen on
43. Introduce scarcity by revealing the number of items left. This can push users into making a decision, prompted by the fear of missing out. “Only a few left at the time you checked” as seen on
44. Introducing features with limitations can be also a secret to an app’s success. “Feature limitations” as seen on
45. Introducing limitations in access to content may provide several monetization opportunities. “Access limitations” as seen on
46. When people are allowed to be creative, they engage more with a product and once that creativity gets social it all becomes fun and highly addictive.
47. Leveraging creativity can be both fun and addictive. as seen on
48. as seen on
49. as seen on When creativity is combined with social mechanisms, the fun begins. And fun brings in masses of users, turning them into loyal players in the process.
50. as seen on “Can you be more creative?” and on
51. “Get rewarded for your creativity!” as seen on
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54. as seen on Remove barriers and let users free. This will increase user participation and engagement on a platform.
55. as seen on Let them create new features and share them with others.
56. Ads exploit people’s feelings every day, in ways we cannot even imagine. Can we design apps and products around a story that people would follow?
57. Groups that people belong to are an important source of pride and self-esteem. We look to enhance the status of the group we belong to in order to better our self-image. The better a group does, the better the user feels and the more likely he is to take further action to improve, protect or contribute to the group’s status. and Social Identities Open Source as seen on
58. Communities created around a story that drives content and dedication can result to a loyal userbase. and Social Identities “The quest for the perfect elite group” as seen on
59. When people feel they contribute to a noble cause, it’s fascinating to see how far they would be willing to go. “Share your opinion on things that matter” as seen on
60. • It’s important for people. • I can really put my thoughts on products out there. • Answering surveys makes it seem like someone is listening and actually trying to improve things. • Answering surveys allows me to state my opinion in a way that matters. • I can show businesses real responses to help their potential. • I am contributing to better product development. I am an active participant in the process. • Giving an opinion can make a difference. Makes me feel involved. as seen on
61. There is only one thing that can beat people wanting to share their opinion and that is a Charity. as seen on
62. Show to the world that the community around your products is filled with people with values, driven by a passion to make a difference in the world. “The core values”
63. Associate an app around an already established idea that has proven engagement and retention. as seen on
64. Create a story that users will actually want to follow and be a part of. as seen on as seen on
65. Focus on users’ feelings and how they evolve. Allow users to progress fast and complete achievements or feel special.
66. “Keep It Simple Stupid”
67. as seen on “Focus on the first user experience”
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77. When someone receives unexpected positive feedback on an action, such a reward, he will instinctively repeat the action. When an action results in a predictable outcome, it is no longer fascinating; it is just another action or tool, like all the other ones available in the surrounding environment.
78. Research has shown that anticipation that occurs on the unpredictability and variety of rewards raises the levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter chemical that is responsible for transmitting signals between nerve cells in the brain and thus drive behaviour. A rise in dopamine levels is associated with pleasure, desire and habit and can be found in different rewarding behaviours that people usually engage in like eating, bragging and such.
79. Anticipation of the unknown reward makes users wait with excitement until the date of the surprise arrives! The Egg Surprise “Waiting for the unknown”
80. Give users the option to get a random reward. This will drive users to a specific section while they are trying to find out what the reward is. Random reward on the press of a button “Raise anticipation” as seen on
81. Anticipation about what the next outcome will be, makes it difficult for users to stop. Maybe you win on the the next spin “You need to play one more time”
82. Every new action creates a hype around a new and better reward, getting users obsessed. Who will be your next match? as seen on
83. Looking for acknowledgment through social networks is something perceived as a reward or achievement by our brain and drives satisfaction! Social Media “The like effect”
84. Even variability in the content can spark curiosity but also obsession in user participation. The respondent case “What’s next?” as seen on
85. The chance of a daily reward, one not always available, can be used in order to drive users to get more chances and thus increase re-engagement to the app. Daily rewards “The Wheel of Fortune” as seen on
86. as seen on Collecting a Mystery Box With a Mystery Box users are constantly looking to collect as many as they can, to explore the prizes inside them.
87. Users can see the available items to be earned, but they spend their currency without knowing which one they will eventually get. It is common to deliver a really cool item at the first buy, in order to excite and engage the user. That will keep him eager to spend more credits on future items. Different options appear from time to time and so users are eager to spend and get a chance to try them out. Blind spending “Buying a random item” as seen on
88. Users cannot know upfront what it is they are actually buying. The concept of constraining in-app purchase options and making them unpredictable may sound irrational, but it can be one of the reasons of an app’s success. Launch Boxes “Buying an unknown pack” as seen on
90. Thank you andreas@pollfish.com @vourkosa