Mozza has analyzed the way 12 of the most successful mobile applications used gamification to generate growth - for activation, retention, monetization and virality.
Discover more growth recipes on http://mozza.io
We talk about: Waze, Duolingo, Tinder, Snapchat, Foursquare, Zenly, Tribe, LinkedIn, Houseparty, Freeletics, Sounds and Starbucks.
18. 1 Simple goals and shiny rewards
A bit of competition
Some randomness & surprises
Lots of fun overall
2
3
4
19. As human beings we are naturally driven
when we have a clear goal in mind to
accomplish 🎯
Knowing how far away that end goal is
will keep your users playing.
25. They encourage people to take
action with a simple one-liner:
“get found for opportunity”
' Who doesn't want to get
found for opportunities??
26. They encourage people to take
action with a simple one-liner:
“get found for opportunity”
' Who doesn't want to get
found for opportunities??
And use the gaming vocabulary:
“Profile strength: Beginner”
27. Do you know what works even better
than specific goals?
28. Goals with a reward! 🎁
Do you know what works even better
than specific goals?
33. By employing a tiered reward structure across the whole
experience, customers are encouraged to shop more but also
shop exclusively with Starbucks! 💸
34. Starbucks uses rewards for user
retention.
But it can also be used for other growth
purposes! 🔥
36. 1. Access to address book
during signup
Tribe asked new users to give
access to their contacts in order
to be able to use the app.
37.
38. 2. Access to notifications!
Tribe also gave points to users
who enabled their notifications.
39.
40. Actually, most actions that could actually improve retention or
virality were incentivized with points! 😲
41. Now, let’s see how levels & rewards can
improve the overall user experience.
42. Now, let’s see how levels & rewards can
improve the overall user experience.
In gaming, players generally go through a
tutorial first, and then for days or weeks
after, are given basic missions and slowly
ramped to more difficult ones.
43. From a Baby user to a Power user
Day 1 Day 7 Day 90
44. It’s important to treat users differently depending on where
they are in their lifecycle, and to build features and experiences
tailored to a specific segment of that lifecycle.
63. Stop making every feature so
accessible🚫
Use SCARCITY to create attractive
REWARDS
Use these REWARDS to drive user
behavior and fuel GROWTH
🎖🎖
🚀
In a nutshell…
69. Freeletics is an app for those
who want to get in shape.
There is a bunch of different
trainings. As well as a coach.
70. Freeletics is an app for those
who want to get in shape.
There is a bunch of different
trainings. As well as a coach.
But the powerful feature is not
the trainings, nor the coach.
71. Freeletics is an app for those
who want to get in shape.
There is a bunch of different
trainings. As well as a coach.
But the powerful feature is not
the trainings, nor the coach.
It’s the social network!
72. Your friends can follow your
performance, write comments
and encourage you!
85. Access to other moods is
limited according to your
activity on the app!
86. The only way to be rewarded a
better mood is by being an
active participant, helping both
your fellow Wazers and of
course ultimately the app’s
success.
87. Each time you report an
incident that will help the
community: a fallen tree, a
police speed-check, you get
points.
You even get points for simply
having the app running while
you’re driving!
88. And just like the other gamified apps, there’s a clear progress
bar, a public leaderboard and teams!
91. Whether it is a Tamagotchi, a
Farmville Farm, or an in-game
avatar, if players are able to
personalize something, then
they will have a greater affinity
for the product as a whole.
Waze
92. The switching costs are higher,
as by customizing something
in-game is an investment as
well as an emotional tie.
Duolingo
93. The switching costs are higher,
as by customizing something
in-game is an investment as
well as an emotional tie.
Duolingo
Who would break a 100
day streak?!
94. The app triggers the users’
creativity with avatars, and give
them something to feel invested
in so that the switching costs to
a competitor are high.
Remember the Mayor status in
Foursquare?
Foursquare
103. 🤔
First, these rewards didn’t bring much
value to the product.
Second, they were too PREDICTABLE!
WHY?
104. In the 50s, the researcher B.F. Skinner
studied behavior conditioning at
Harvard University.
Back to theory
105. To understand how rewards could influence behavior,
he invented the “Skinner box”.
106. The mice would press a lever and sometimes they’d
get a small treat, other times a large treat, and other
times nothing at all.
107. Unlike the mice that received the same treat every
time, the mice that received variable rewards would
press the lever way more compulsively!
🧀
🧀🧀 🧀
t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6
🧀🧀 🧀 🧀 🧀
t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6
🧀
🧀
🧀
😱
108. Humans, like the mice in Skinner’s box, crave
predictability and struggle to find patterns, even
when none exist.
We respond most voraciously to random rewards.
🎲
109. That’s why gambling and playing the lottery are so
addictive! Every new game is exciting as you never
know what you’re gonna get 😏
🎰
131. Instead of pushing a notification
after a friend sent you a message,
it’s pushed while your friend is
typing!
132. Obviously, this makes you want to find out what will happen
next. If you don’t know what’s going to happen, your brain is
engaged and you think about it often!
137. Life is hard.
Hopefully, games are here to entertain us.
They generate excitement through the
competition and rewards mechanisms
that we just studied.
138. Life is hard.
Hopefully, games are here to entertain us.
They generate excitement through the
competition and rewards mechanisms
that we just studied.
But it’s not only about that.
145. But Zenly did it differently.
Instead of a blank loading screen, they inserted fun messages.
146. These are the little details that make a BIG difference!
147. Houseparty is also really good at entertaining the users on
waiting screens!
148. As soon as you have added some
friends on Zenly, this what you
get.
149. As soon as you have added some
friends on Zenly, this what you
get.
While big achievements are
rewarded with something special,
like badges or trophies, small
achievements should also be
recognized, especially when the
user has just started engaging
with the app.