You know the biggest window out there for businesses to reach their target audience is website development. But, do you know what labyrinth or the secret sauce interweaves those audiences to keep coming back amidst a pool of alternatives? Well, there is a factor that keeps the excitement brewing over and above functional supremacy. Yes, to bring those target audiences to the website is ‘Gamification web design’. Here you have the secret sauce. In this mega-modern world where consumers are stacked with choices and options to jump, skip, and hop on in no time. Your website should go beyond the traditional lengths.
The future of businesses is no more technological feats that rev up functionality. To scale big and leapfrog your website needs a shot of adaptive, attentive, interactive, and intuitive facets. Something that syncs with the users. Because for the new user base, there’s a lot that goes in. Right from a website that tops the charts, drill the will and fuse in the fascination. It’s beyond the normal brick-and-mortar store tuned to a virtual storefront is a no-brainer.
Gamification in web design is a magic pill for users, and business and has a profound impact. So, let’s dig into the best website gamification for effective practices. And, let’s get your business dipped into the code and creativity pool to win humongous.
Explained: Gamification in Web Development
Functionality, seamless navigation and speedy sprints on websites by the users are no longer the ONLY ideal signs of a great website. Businesses, brands, and even startups that are winning big and leaving no crumbs are leveraging the gamification web. Yes, and no it’s no longer just about climbing on a new trend tech wave. Neither is it about a rat race where you advance your website just because your competitors are doing it.
Businesses have a timeless golden rule- Consumer-first. There might be a sea change in terms of a number of facets. Be it trends, tech facelifts, or redesigning the business model. But, this is all centered around the users/consumers/target audience. And, gamification web development is a deep-rooted, proactive, and panoramically serving aspect.
What is Gamification in Web Development?
To give you a technical overview- it is the incorporation of gamification elements onto a website. Now, coming to a non-technical explanation- as we mentioned above it is a magic pill. A set of gamification elements are added to the website to make the process fun, engaging, and interactive. Which otherwise is plainly functionality driven.
Why is Website Gamification important?
It works in more ways than one. At one end it grabs and catapults the users and on the other end it helps the businesses to scale up. And, considering the modern dynamics that the businesses are going through. The gamification web is sweeping off the problems and getting businesses into a sugary dip. With that, it will allow your business to reign supreme in user engagement, user experience and user satisfaction.
How does it do that?
For businesses to stay adamant on the stumbling block of changing trends and user requirements is a never-ending loop. But, a psychological approach here goes a long way. Understanding what will drive your users, motivate them to come back to your website and influence them to take action is of major significance. And, gamification does that- via fun gamified elements and boons like wins, rewards and prizes.
Now, it is quite fair and square as to what the gamification web brings to the table. And, how tremendous an advantage it is. However, it is important to understand how to implement it effectively on your website for the best of results.
How to Implement Effective Website Gamification via Best Practices?
It all comes down to whipping in the effectiveness of the gamification elements. Because merely plotting those on your website will not cut much. These elements are to be placed strategically in order to bag maximum results. And, for the same, you need to rely on a professional website development company.
However, before that, you need to know what set of practices you need to undertake. Because no one would know your business model better other than you. Besides all that, no one except you will know what your target audience prefers and what type of gamification elements will be the best fit. However, to get down to shortlisting the best you need to run through a step-suit quickly.
Step 1: Analyze your business model and core vision
This goes without a second thought. Without analyzing your business model or considering what is the core vision of your business/startup you cannot jump on shortlisting the aspects. It is not either and or a case where considering any one aspect would do particularly, considering.
Step 2: Take into account your target audience
Gamification at the core is to equip your users with a delightful user experience and a unique one. Now, when the entire concept is for the users. You cannot sideline your target audience, their choices, preferences and motivating elements.
Step 3: Select the right set of gamification aspects
After analyzing what your target audience prefers and what kind of gamification elements will draw and influence their willingness. All you have to do is select the right set of gamification elements for your website development. Don’t forget to sync in your business model, vision and user choices.
Step 4: Integrate on the website
This is the most important step out here integrating the selected elements on the gamification. Be it leaderboards, rewards, points, badges or challenges. However, integrating in a significant place makes a big difference. Like for example if you place the rewards on onboarding, points on referring the service/product to a friend, etc. These whip up a large difference.
Step 5: Accelerate healthy competition
In-app challenges, leaderboards, and encouraging healthy competition amongst the users can help motivate the users to keep coming back. Incorporating healthy and fun competitions helps your business hit the throttle for user interest, user engagement and building a community of users.
Step 6: Run a quick check
However, it is not all about adding features or integrating it in the right manner. But it’s also about iterating and running quick checks. Because users are not quite forgiving and are supremely quality and functionality driven. It is advisable to run a quick check to ensure the smooth functioning of the same before it is released.
Step 7: Roll it out in the market
Voila! Your website gamification is all done and ready to be rolled out in the market. Get yourself ready for a pool of users, top engagement rates and conversions.
These are some of the best practices to implement and integrate gamification in web design. However, these practices will help you amplify the performance metrics and win big. Having said that trends and benefits are something that keeps advancing and accentuating your services and gains. And, keeping track of it can help you better understand what website gamification brings to the table.
Trends and Benefits of Gamification in Web Design
Websites are like a modern virtual storefront for the business. Basically, back in the day the mom and pop store or an apparel showroom was something you ran, physically. Now, websites are the same storefronts but in a virtual realm. This is because the physical markets have been majorly swamped with online marketplaces and websites. The connecting point for your business to your target market is now the websites, apps and a virtual front.
This brings us to tell you that which is why you need to keep a strong track on trends and benefits. Because it is more like a chain reaction or a loop. We say this because to know what’s the best for your business stepping into the nitty gritty is important. This means you will need to map the trends and for that, you will need to analyze the benefits. Imagine you get the gamification aspect that is trendy but barely has any benefits. It certainly won’t do any good and of course would not be a good ROI. And, we don’t want that for you which is why we have listed the trends and benefits of gamification web.
Trends
- AR/VR infused Gamification
- AI Gamification
- Mobile App Gamification
- Human Centered Design
- Personalized Suite of Leaderboards, Challenges, Points, Rewards etc.
Benefits
- Accelerated Conversions
- Higher User Engagement
- Next-Gen User Experience
- Increased Sales
- Drives and Influences User Acts
- Motivates Users
- Boosts Revenue
The suite of takeaways is humongous for businesses. And, you can plot a share too but for the same you need to get in touch with a prominent website development company. However, to further back this proposition we have tagged in some real business examples where giants have integrated gamification in websites. This is to give you a brief idea and a little sneak peek into the same. Like how the cross-industry giants are strategizing gamification and integrating it into their website. However, for the seamless integration of the same you will need a great team of website developers.
How Big Brands are Leveraging Website Gamification?
Before we list out some of the giants here considering they have integrated gamification in website development. Let us tell you these are cross-industry examples. So, here one will be an edtech example and the other will be a service based industry. The spectrum here is gigantic, plus there is no bar because gamification has a panoramic application. You can have any business model, fall into any genre- website gamification will serve as a boon regardless. Now, bag in insights as to how some of the big brands and businesses are leveraging gamification to their advantage.
Now, it’s not that just the gamification features like leaderboards, points or rewards are the only aspects that fall under this category. Elements that spark competitive vibes or something that ignites a sense of achievement can be counted as a gamification element. Because at the core the value proposition is motivating, influencing the user to make an act.
So, LinkedIn has this feature where the app motivates the user to complete the profile and on completion of each bar. In return, the user gets a status bar that shows the completion of the profile. This pushes the user to complete the profile and accelerate their reach.
Fitbit
Fitness is yet another genre that has massive user-centric and user-driven aspects. Fitbit is a winning example of how it accelerates user performance via gamification. By tracking daily steps, rewarding on achieving milestones to making fitness exercises more fun and engaging.
This is how different businesses leverage website gamification and hit whopping highs. Ancillary to that it is also one of the winning approaches to convince and bag in the modern user base. This also brings us to say that you can adopt this strategy and plot your wins.
Wrapping Up
Winning, convincing, and acquiring maximum user satisfaction is no walk in the park. But, with accurate strategies, tapping into tech waves can do wonders. Gamification in web design is one such aspect that hails as a star of its discipline. But, to get those winning strikes right you do need to get started and more importantly, get a professional team for the same. A website development company that is adept and has a full-fledged team with hands-on experience. This can bring your strategy and vision into reality with proper implementation of best practices.
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