UNDERSTANDING THE TOOL

• ‘Broad Goal’ is the core strategic reason gamification is being chosen as a strategy; Increasing engagement, forming habits, differentiating experience, etc. could be some goals to consider.
• ‘Game Dynamics’ are the strategies that designers use to realise gamification. Among these are - 1) Competition: Creating a sense of competition at individual and team level 2) Collaboration: Creating a sense of community and collaboration among users 3) Progress & Achievement: Offering journeys that signify growth and evolution for individuals and teams 4) Exploration and Surprise: Creating unpredictability and sense of adventure through gamification.
• ‘Game Mechanics’ are specific tactics that help designers realise game dynamics. Among these are - 1) ‘Missions’: Create a sense of progress, and help navigate users towards a desired end state. For example, financial planning could be broken down into short term, mid term and long term missions 2) ‘Levels’: Stages into which Missions are broken down. For example, financial planning may have levels such as basic, adequate, excellent 3) ‘Tasks’: Activities within levels that need to be completed to move from one Level to another, and to complete Missions. For example, planning in the short term may mean investing $200 in deposits, insurance, equity funds etc 4) ‘Points’: Scores assigned for completion of tasks, levels, and missions. For example, 100 points for every $10 invested. 5) ‘Badges’: Indicators of accomplishment that go beyond points. For example, someone who invests regularly could get a badge of ‘responsible investor’ 6) ‘Leaderboards’: Dashboards that show where individuals and teams stand vis-a-vis each other in terms of points, badges, progress level, etc.