Gamification in UX Design for enhanced user experience and engagement

BRAND CONNECT
Published: Dec 18, 2018 03:06:26 PM IST
Updated: Dec 20, 2018 10:42:48 AM IST


User engagement is at the heart of any design philosophy. With the user-centred approach, designers are always on the lookout for new techniques to enhance user engagement with products, websites and programs like online games. The objective is to make a product easy and enjoyable for users to use. Making a product easy to use and enjoyable enhances user experience (UX) leading to increased user engagement. Even traditional online card games like pool rummy have enhanced user experience. The secret lies in gamification in the UX design, which has assumed high importance in recent years. Although a very modern concept, it does have a far-reaching impact on the understanding of user preferences and increasing user engagement.

What Is Gamification?
Gamification refers to the process of incorporating game-like features into products and services, even the most mundane ones, in order to make them engaging and enjoyable. Users are rewarded with points, badges, virtual currency or levels, depending on the tasks accomplished. Gamification is all about creating designs that are not only useful but also engaging and enable users to interact with the products, services, websites, apps, games, etc. Since UX design is integral to the designing of games, it is interesting to know how gamification in UX design can impact the design of games.

Role of Gamification in UX Design
In recent years, gamification elements have found widespread uses in the design of products and services to increase user engagement. Incorporating well-chosen gaming features into products and services enables designers to provide better user experience and helps them in improving conversion rates too. In other words, fun gaming elements are incorporated into UX design to create interest, leading to enhanced user experience and engagement. Gamification in UX design makes games interactive and encourages users to play more games for more rewards and points, leading to increased user engagement. How is UX design gamified exactly? Let’s take a look at the process.

Create User Interest with Tasks to Achieve
The essence of gamification lies in developing simple, easily accomplishable tasks for users. Give your users simple tasks that will motivate them to achieve goals. Doing such tasks kindles user interest and gives your users reasons to engage with your product, service, website, app or programs like games. Make it interesting and engaging by including levels and goals to achieve to advance to higher levels.  Besides, you need to develop a system where users can measure their progress and get motivated to come back and take it to the next level.

Include Rewards and Points to Motivate
Another effective way to improve user engagement is incorporating a reward system. Whether it an app, website or a social card game like online rummy game , rewards help in enhancing user experience and improve user engagement. Cash rewards in the form of real money that users get when they win a game of rummy are indeed motivating and make players come back and play again by fostering the feeling of their efforts being rewarded.

Make It Competitive
Competition arouses interest, and interest creates better user engagement. The element of competition motivates users to play and emerge successful. Through gamification, such as by including elements like the leader board, you are not only creating a competitive environment but also encouraging your users to achieve higher and higher goals and emerge winners, which is rewarding. Enhanced user engagement is achieved when your UX design has the right mix of gaming elements.

Set Different Goals with Different Levels
By setting the goal of achieving different levels for your users, you give the users a good reason to keep coming back to your product or service. When a particular level/goal gets accomplished, it renews user interest, leading to increased user engagement. Gamification helps UX designers to enhance the designs of products and services, leading to greater user interest. By using gamified elements smartly, UX designers are able to achieve the highest level of user engagement, which is essential to building a healthy relationship with users and developing a good business.

From the humble beginning of console and PC games, gaming today has come a long way. Gamification of UX design is the just the tip of the iceberg of technology, which will find even more widespread applications in the days to come. Gaming is just one of industries, though an important one, being influenced by gamification in UX design.

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