A New Frontier in Gamification Design: Creating High Retention Applications

Although gamified design is no longer a hot topic, its core principles are still shaping today's most successful applications. Over the past decade, simple point and badge systems have lost their appeal, as they tend to only boost engagement in the short term and fail to retain users in the long run.

Truly successful applications adopt deeper game design concepts and integrate them into the core functions of the product. These applications are not only engaging but also foster long-term usage habits. They cover various fields, including productivity, social networking, finance, mental health, and education.

Three Core Principles of Game Design

1. Motivation

Excellent game design focuses on intrinsic motivations such as autonomy, competence, and social needs. This drives behavior more sustainably than external rewards.

2. Proficient

The game should provide a clear skill progression path, allowing users to feel a sense of advancement. The difficulty should be moderate, neither too hard nor too easy, to create an immersive experience.

3. Feedback

Teach users through clear and straightforward causal loops, encouraging experimentation and learning. Positive feedback reinforces correct behaviors.

Successful Cases of Gamified Design

social media

Platforms like Instagram and Twitter meet users' needs for self-expression and social interaction, providing an advanced path for fan growth.

productivity tools

Repl.it and Figma have introduced a multi-user collaboration mode, making programming and design more interactive. The Superhuman email application sets the goal of zeroing out the inbox and provides visual rewards.

Mental Health

The Forest app will turn focus into a tree-planting game, encouraging users to stay focused through visual feedback.

Financial Services

Chime bank gamifies the saving process, making saving more fun through features like round-up savings.

fitness app

Zombies, Run! integrates running into a zombie escape story. Strava inspires user competition through leaderboards.

Education Field

Duolingo breaks down language learning into short and concise courses, dynamically adjusting the difficulty based on user performance.

The success of these applications proves that cleverly integrating game design principles into the core of the product can effectively enhance user experience and long-term retention rates. In the future, this "gamified but not gamified" design concept will continue to drive the development of innovative applications.