How Elevate Uses Gamification to Improve Engagement and Retention

Elevate, a brain-training mobile app, faced a common problem: user churn. Users initially downloaded the app with enthusiasm, but many stopped engaging after a few weeks. Elevate sought to increase engagement and retention by implementing gamification strategies.

Problem Definition

Elevate’s user drop-off rate was significant. Data showed that while initial usage was high, sustained engagement was low. Users weren't consistently using the app long enough to realize the long-term benefits of brain training. The challenge was to make the learning process more motivating and rewarding.

Solution: Gamification Implementation

Elevate introduced a comprehensive gamification system centered around core behavioral drivers: progress, achievement, competition, and reward. The system was rolled out in phases, starting with basic elements and gradually introducing more complex features.

Points and Levels

Users earn Points for completing exercises and achieving milestones. The number of points awarded varies based on performance and difficulty. Accumulated points contribute to the user's level. As users accrue more points, they advance to higher Levels, unlocking new exercises and features. This provides a tangible sense of progression and accomplishment.

Achievements and Badges

Elevate implemented Achievements and Badges to reward specific actions and milestones. Examples include: "First Timer" (completing the initial assessment), "Daily Grind" (completing a workout every day for a week), and "Mastermind" (achieving a high score in a particular skill). Badges are visually appealing and displayed on the user's profile, providing a sense of status and accomplishment. These serve as visual markers of progress and encourage users to explore different aspects of the app.

Progress Bars

Clear and visually appealing Progress Bars are used throughout the app to show users how close they are to completing a workout, reaching the next level, or earning a new badge. This provides immediate feedback and motivates users to keep going.

Streaks

Streaks are a powerful motivator. Elevate tracks consecutive days of app usage. Missed days reset the streak, creating a sense of urgency and encouraging daily engagement. The longer the streak, the more points and rewards users earn. Visual cues, like a flame icon that grows larger with each consecutive day, reinforce this behavior.

Challenges

Elevate introduced Challenges, offering users specific goals to achieve within a set timeframe. These challenges can be individual (e.g., improving a specific skill score by a certain percentage) or social (e.g., competing against other users in a leaderboard for a specific game). Completing challenges earns users bonus points, badges, and other rewards. This injects variety and excitement into the learning process.

Leaderboards

To foster a sense of friendly competition, Elevate integrated Leaderboards. Users are ranked based on their overall score, points earned in specific skills, or performance in challenges. Leaderboards can be filtered to show rankings among friends, within a specific age group, or globally. To avoid discouraging less competitive users, Elevate includes multiple leaderboards focused on different metrics and skill sets.

Rewards

Elevate offers a variety of Rewards to incentivize continued engagement. Rewards can be intrinsic (e.g., unlocking new and more challenging exercises) or extrinsic (e.g., discounts on premium features, access to exclusive content, virtual currency). The reward system is designed to be fair, transparent, and aligned with user goals.

Results: Impact on Engagement and Retention

The implementation of gamification had a significant positive impact on Elevate's key metrics:

• Increased Daily Active Users (DAU): DAU increased by 40% within the first three months of implementing the gamification system.
• Improved User Retention: The 30-day retention rate increased by 25%. Users were more likely to stick with the app for a longer period.
• Higher Engagement Levels: Users spent more time per session and completed more exercises on average.
• Positive User Feedback: User reviews and ratings improved significantly, with many users praising the app's engaging and motivating features.

Lessons Learned: Key Takeaways

• Know Your Audience: Understand what motivates your users and tailor the gamification elements accordingly. What works for one audience may not work for another. Elevate's users were motivated by self-improvement and cognitive enhancement, so the gamification focused on progress and mastery.
• Start Simple, Iterate Often: Begin with a few core gamification elements and gradually add more complexity as you gather user feedback and data. Continuously monitor performance and adjust the system based on user behavior.
• Balance Competition and Collaboration: While leaderboards can be motivating for some users, they can be discouraging for others. Offer opportunities for collaboration and individual progress to cater to a wider range of user preferences.
• Provide Meaningful Rewards: Ensure that the rewards are valuable and relevant to your users' goals. Extrinsic rewards are good, but intrinsic rewards (like unlocking new content or skills) are often more effective in the long run.
• Track and Analyze Data: Monitor key metrics (e.g., DAU, retention, engagement) to assess the effectiveness of the gamification system. Use data to identify areas for improvement and optimize the user experience.
• Ensure Fairness and Transparency: The gamification system should be fair and transparent. Users should understand how points are earned, how levels are achieved, and how leaderboards are calculated. Avoid creating systems that are perceived as manipulative or unfair.
• Gamification is Not a Silver Bullet: While gamification can be a powerful tool for improving engagement and retention, it is not a substitute for a high-quality product. Elevate's core value proposition (brain training) was essential for attracting and retaining users. Gamification simply enhanced the experience and made it more engaging.

Future Improvements

Elevate plans to further enhance its gamification system by:

• Personalized Challenges: Using machine learning to create challenges that are tailored to each user's individual skill level and learning goals.
• Social Features: Expanding social features to allow users to collaborate with friends and family on brain training exercises.
• Dynamic Rewards: Offering rewards that are based on user performance and preferences.

By continuously iterating on its gamification system and focusing on user needs, Elevate aims to further increase engagement, improve retention, and ultimately help users achieve their cognitive training goals.