021Principle
Gamification
Encouraging engagement with tasks and rewards.
Why it matters
Product teams will utilise elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to encourage engagement with a product or service.
It's really effective, and can be addictive.
There are many types of gamification—almost anything can be gamified.
For example:
Duolingo will use 'XP' (experience points) and 'streaks' to incentivise people to use their app more.
This leans into the craving to maintain their streak, or unlock the next 'level'.
Early in 2021, Robinhood removed their confetti animation, amid scrutiny that it was overly-gamifying the process of investing.
i.e., the confetti created a reward loop of " invest, and see that awesome celebration "—even if it was a terrible investment.
What to inspect
- Check whether the experience reflects this: It's really effective, and can be addictive.
- Map each visible element to how it supports or undermines: Encouraging engagement with tasks and rewards.
- Walk the primary task once with time pressure; note where attention drops.
- Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the product to paraphrase the screen in one sentence.
Common anti-patterns
- Assuming users consciously notice every place where "Encouraging engagement with tasks and rewards" could apply.
- Dense copy and parallel actions that increase mental effort unrelated to the user’s goal.
- Ignoring downstream effects on churn when shipping this pattern.
Critique prompts
- It's really effective, and can be addictive.
- Where on this screen would "Gamification" show up as friction or misunderstanding?
- What would a first-time user misunderstand here in under five seconds?