How do you create meaningful and diverse rewards and recognition for gamification users?

To understand users I apply the 5 laws of behavior: B = f(P, E): Behavior is a function of the Person and their Environment, crucial for creating tailored experiences and understanding context. B = f(S1, S2): Recognizes our dual decision-making nature - instinctive and rational. Useful for segmenting users based on decision-making styles. (A → B → C): Every Behavior is triggered by an Activator and followed by a Consequence. This aids in mapping user journeys and identifying barriers. (B = MAP): Reminds us to consider an individual's Ability (A), and Attention (Prompts), not just Motivation. B = f(I, E): Distinguishes between intrinsic (I) and extrinsic (E) motivations, guiding segmentation based on motivational drivers.

In gamification, tailor rewards to individual preferences for meaningful impact. Consider a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. For instance, acknowledge achievements with personalized badges or virtual trophies, and offer tangible rewards like flexible work hours or skill development opportunities. The key is to make the recognition align with the diverse interests and goals of your users. #Gamification #RewardsRecognition

Understanding your users is crucial when it comes to creating effective gamification systems. Apart from traditional methods like surveys and interviews, advanced analytics techniques can offer deeper insights into user behavior and preferences. By utilizing behavioral economics techniques such as prospect theory or loss aversion, we can design rewards and recognition that resonate with users on a subconscious level, leading to sustained engagement. Additionally, incorporating elements from social psychology, like the need for belongingness or the desire for mastery, can help establish a sense of community and progression within the gamified experience.

There are various ways to categorize your users, but one key factor to consider is their "gaming skill level." It's important to realize that users feel truly engaged with a game when its difficulty aligns with their skill level. If the game is too easy, they might find it boring and not see it as challenging. On the other hand, if it's too hard, they could simply end up feeling frustrated. Therefore, it's crucial to offer a game that suits their skill level. Also, keep in mind that users tend to improve their gaming skills over time, especially with regular play. This means gamified system providers should aim to gradually ramp up the difficulty level for their frequent players to maintain engagement.

Precisamos conhecer os usuários mais a fundo do que o mapa de empatia, persona e entrevistas de UX - eXperiência do Usuário. Vamos precisar entender motivadores deles podendo buscar na frameworks Hexad ou Octalysis, mas também com os Desejos Básicos de Reiss ou Moving Motivators do Managment 3.0. Costumo buscar mais um elemento, que pra mim é primordial na constru??o do projeto: identificar hobbies, cultura, filmes e séries preferidos, esportes e etc. Quanto mais conhecimentos desses aspectos, mais insumo para um direcionamento assertivo.

It's important to look at rewards as something that isn't restricted to the tangible. Emotions (especially a sense of accomplishment), social recognition, audio/visual/haptic feedback, access to new places and abilities, and even just allowing a tired person to get some sleep are all types of rewards. The emotional rewards are often the most under noticed but most effective. We often use extrinsic things like points to underscore the more intrinsic drives such as pride in an achievement. Besides choosing the right rewards for the audience, you have to consider the schedule at which they are awarded, how well they are tied to your desired behaviors, the ecosystem that gives the rewards value, and the other players in the system.

Oh boy … one of the most interesting subjects in Gamification: Rewards. There are really 2 things that you need to know about rewards to fully grasp their potential: Types and Contexts. I'll write here about the 4 types of rewards: Status, Access, Power, Stuff. Status is something that allows people to brag about their accomplishments. Access are benefits that are only available for a small % of your users. Power refers to any mechanics that give users more agency and control over the experience. Stuff is anything else like points, discounts, food, money, etc. It is also important to consider other psychological or “intangible” rewards, such as when you praise your users or celebrate their win-states within the gamified experience.

Evite presumir que recompensas ideais para criadores sejam as mesmas para usuários. A pesquisa ajuda, pois usuários tendem a compartilham preferências sobre prêmios desejados. Sem pesquisa, opte por incentivos amplamente motivadores: - Financeiro: b?nus ou descontos. - Conhecimento: acesso a conteúdo exclusivo. - Aprova??o Social: reconhecimento público. - Pertencimento: participar de comunidades. - Propósito: contribuir para causas sociais - Saúde: itens que promovem bem-estar. - Sensa??o Física: conforto ou prazeres tangíveis.

When choosing the right types of rewards in gamification, it's crucial to understand that rewards should not simply be random perks but carefully crafted tools that stimulate human core drives. Gamification is a human-centric design that engages users by appealing to their intrinsic motivations. A well-designed reward system should align with these motivations and provide meaningful responses to user actions, making the entire process of engagement feel coherent and purposeful. Ultimately, rewards should reflect the user’s efforts and progress, reinforcing their sense of achievement in a clear, objective, and understandable way.

Primeira coisa a considerar sobre recompensas: elas v?o além de produtos físicos. Embora sejam bons exemplos, o espectro de op??es é vasto. Inclusive, o impacto a longo prazo na memória do usuário tende a vir de recompensas "n?o monetárias" - especialmente as relacionadas a experiências. A boa escolha está em compreender os impulsos motivacionais dos usuários. Por exemplo, os "conquistadores" valorizam símbolos de progresso pessoal, como cole??es e status. Por outro lado, os "socializados" preferem recompensas compartilháveis. Ao implementar a gamifica??o, é recomendável alinhar as recompensas com os perfis de usuários correspondentes.

Extrinsic is good for bringing new people into an experience, while intrinsic consolidates their engagement. For Extrinsic motivation, use: 1. Development & Accomplishment: The drive to level up, improve, and achieve mastery. 2. Ownership & Possession: The drive to collect, accumulate, and organize. 3. Scarcity & Impatience: The drive to obsess over what we see but cannot have. For Intrinsic motivation, use: 1. Empowerment of Creativity & Feedback: The drive to use one’s creativity and adjusting through feedback. 2. Social Influence & Relatedness: The drive to collaborate, compete, and express social appreciation. 3. Unpredictability & Curiosity: The drive to crave what is unpredictable and new.

Intrinsic rewards like a sense of achievement, mastery, or personal growth can motivate users internally. Extrinsic rewards such as badges, points, or prizes provide external recognition and encouragement. By combining both types of rewards, you can cater to diverse motivations and preferences, enhancing user engagement and satisfaction in the gamification experience.

One important rule: "Never Let Extrinsic Rewards Overshadow Intrinsic Rewards (Gameplay itself)"! Many gamified systems offer extrinsic rewards like money, points, or badges. These are effective tools to motivate users to participate in the way businesses want. However, you should be careful not to rely too heavily on these rewards. Overemphasizing them can undermine users' natural enjoyment and motivation to engage with the system for its own sake, making the system feel less like a game. The essence of gamification lies in sparking users' genuine interest and enjoyment, encouraging them to participate willingly. When extrinsic rewards become too dominant, the system might no longer be seen as truly "gamified."

While external rewards such as badges or leaderboards may boost initial engagement, relying solely on them can diminish users' internal drive in the long run. To find the right equilibrium, we can introduce features that enhance intrinsic rewards within the gamified environment. For example, integrating storytelling elements can infuse tasks with significance and direction, appealing to users' natural inclination for autonomy and mastery. Moreover, promoting a sense of community and social interaction through collaborative tasks or peer acknowledgment can boost users' internal motivation, making them more resilient to changes in external rewards.

Les dejo algunas ideas: 1. Evita el exceso: Demasiadas recompensas extrínsecas pueden socavar la motivación intrínseca. 2. Nivel óptimo: Encuentra el equilibrio adecuado para apoyar y mejorar la motivación intrínseca sin eclipsarla. 3. Considera la validación externa: Asegúrate de ofrecer suficientes recompensas extrínsecas para evitar desmotivar a los usuarios que buscan reconocimiento externo. 4. Feedback continuo: Proporciona retroalimentación regular para que los usuarios comprendan su progreso y cómo sus esfuerzos se traducen en recompensas, fomentando un ciclo positivo de motivación y compromiso

Allowing users to personalize their rewards adds different layers of motivation, such as creativity, which leads to ownership, which leads to loss aversion. So it is indeed a good idea to allow them to personalize it.

Instead of offering generic rewards, allowing users to personalize their rewards based on their preferences enhances their sense of ownership and investment in the gamified experience. By utilizing user data and feedback, machine learning algorithms can dynamically adjust rewards to match individual behavior and performance, ensuring that they remain relevant and effective. Additionally, providing users with a range of options for how they receive and use rewards fosters a sense of autonomy and control, further enhancing their engagement.

Por ejemplo en mi caso, en algunas actividades que hago en clase, creo un pool variado de recompensas, por ejemplo tipos de caramelos, etc. y permito que elija el premio al ganador y así bajando hasta el último clasificado. Esto motiva a la vez que hace que no tenga que elegir. Otra estrategia que uso cuando quiero repartir más premios es hacerlo de forma incremental, es decir, a la inversa, el último se lleva el premio A, el penúltimo el premio A+B, el antepenúltimo A+B+C, así el rendimiento indica la cantidad de premios y nunca hay problema porque tienen todos los anteriores.

Reconhecer e recompensar intera??es sociais é uma das maneiras mais eficazes de tornar as recompensas mais significativas na gamifica??o. Por exemplo, em plataformas educacionais, incentivar os alunos a colaborar em projetos ou compartilhar recursos promove uma experiência de aprendizado mais rica. Ao recompensar a??es como ajudar colegas em fóruns de discuss?o ou contribuir em desafios de grupo, você promove um senso de comunidade. Da mesma forma, aplicativos de fitness como o Strava celebram conquistas, permitindo que os usuários deem "kudos" aos amigos por completarem um treino, aumentando o engajamento. Utilizar as redes sociais para destacar histórias de sucesso pode fortalecer ainda mais essas conex?es.

When it comes to social rewards, your efforts should be on creating the ability for users in your system to reward and recognize each other rather than having rewards come from the system itself. A leaderboard for who got the most likes isn't as useful as the likes from peers themselves.

In addition to individual accomplishments, fostering a sense of community and collaboration among users is essential for maintaining engagement. One effective approach is to incentivize and reward cooperative behaviors, such as group challenges or team-based competitions, where users can support and motivate each other towards shared objectives. Moreover, utilizing social media platforms or dedicated community spaces within the gamified environment can facilitate the exchange of achievements, feedback, and stories, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collective identity among users.

Reconocer y recompensar las interacciones sociales es crucial en la gamificación aplicada a procesos o desarrollo de equipos. A diferencia de la gamificación orientada a clientes, que puede ser más individual, la gamificación en equipos debe fomentar la colaboración, comunicación y apoyo mutuo. Crear oportunidades para que los usuarios interactúen, compitan amigablemente o se ayuden entre sí, fortalece el sentido de pertenencia y comunidad. Utilizar plataformas de redes sociales para compartir logros y celebrar éxitos en grupo aumenta la cohesión del equipo. Estas interacciones no solo mejoran la motivación y el compromiso, sino que también potencian el desarrollo de habilidades colaborativas y la identidad colectiva del grupo

When conducting A/B tests, make sure these points: 1. It's critical to randomly assign participants to a control group and a treatment group. This helps accurately evaluate the impact of gamification without external interference. 2. Since you're beta-testing a yet-to-be-launched gamified system, the observed effects of gamification might differ from those after the actual launch. Therefore, aim to make your beta-test as close to the real environment as possible. 3. Even after you've launched the gamified system, consider conducting field A/B testing. This offers a valuable opportunity to measure the real-world impact of integrating gaming elements into your system.

Debes enfocarte en iterar continuamente tu sistema de recompensas y reconocimiento. Monitorea y mide el impacto en el compromiso, la motivación, la satisfacción y la lealtad de tus usuarios. Prueba diferentes tipos de recompensas, frecuencias y valores para identificar qué funciona mejor. Usa los comentarios de los usuarios para ajustar y mejorar constantemente el sistema. La iteración no es un proceso único; implica adaptarse a las necesidades y expectativas cambiantes de tus usuarios. Al iterar, asegúrate de que las recompensas sigan siendo significativas y diversas, manteniendo así a los usuarios comprometidos y motivados.

I have been involved with gamification since 2004. Gamification is not only about rewards and awards it is about fun and engagement. One lesson I learned from Gabe Zichermann is the use of SAPP (Status, Access, Power and Prices). It goes from the stickiest to the less sticky and from the less expensive to the most expensive project. Gamification is a great mechanic but it needs to be well prepared and measured with all KPId available.

I've expanded on Gabe Zichermann's SAPS (status, access, power, stuff) framework and categorized rewards into a more advanced form I called PASTE: Pride - winning and accomplishing things, having something that separates you from others Access - being able to do things you couldn’t before Social - interacting with others Things - prizes, stuff, physical goods or money Experience - pleasurable sensations such as those elicited by particle effects or musical stings This allows us to consider a wider variety of rewards than the original SAPS and can be a useful tool when considering reward options.

Comienza por comprender a tus usuarios: qué los motiva, qué valoran y qué desafíos enfrentan. Elige recompensas que equilibren lo intrínseco (disfrute, curiosidad, autonomía) y lo extrínseco (dinero, estatus, reconocimiento), asegurando que ambas motiven sin desmotivar. Personaliza las recompensas para que los usuarios puedan adaptarlas a sus preferencias y objetivos, aumentando su sentido de propiedad. Reconoce las interacciones sociales para fomentar la comunidad y el sentido de pertenencia. Finalmente, experimenta e itera, ajustando las recompensas según los datos y el feedback para mantenerlas relevantes y efectivas