Of all the industries that strive for greatness, web design is one that does so at an unstoppable pace. Concepts and designs that were relevant yesterday are garbage today. The web design industry always tries to find and develop new and more effective ways of interacting with Internet audiences, grabbing their attention, leading them down the sales funnels, providing them with unique content, graphics, and so much more.
But even though web design trends change constantly, industry specialists take action in advance well before the new becomes a given. It helps them to stay at the forefront of the industry. Not all new trends just come from design. For example, an increasing number of web designers today use concepts from neurobiology and cognitive psychology to understand the minds and actions of web users. Even so, the video game industry that managed to earn over $120 billion in 2019 is a good place to look for innovative ideas to incorporate in web design. This industry has been through ups and downs, like any industry, and now is sitting pretty at the top of the Forbes list.
DOOM Eternal - Gaming Site by Maxim Bogun
As was already mentioned, web designers take inspiration and action for new ideas early. Luckily for many of us, they did so with video games. Why not gamify user experience, while visitors browse a website? Such a simple concept garnered huge results - but I’m sure the title of this article should’ve hinted at that. Gamification is a very useful and fruitful thing if it’s done right. In case your company has a website that has been doing poorly for some time now, it might be a good time for you to update it and, at the same time, incorporate some gaming elements into its design. In the meantime, if your company doesn’t have a website, you need to find a reliable and reputable web design agency that can provide you with all the services related to website creation and launch you need: design, development, copywriting and SEO, among other things. More and more people these days go online before ultimately deciding to buy or order something. This means if you don’t have a site, your business is going to miss out on accessing a considerable part of your target audience.
Finding a web design company shouldn’t be difficult - many great agencies out there are just waiting to create truly spectacular sites, no matter what the niche is. Even if you have a rather limited budget, you can surely find the right agency that can create a functional and converting website within your particular financial limits. If you want to reach out to your target audience effectively, you must make sure that your website provides them with a great user experience. Talk to the web design agency you hire and discuss the possible ways to add gaming elements to it feeling like a lame online game - remember, you’re a business, not a videogame!
To proceed from here, you must know why gamification is effective and how it does what it does.
Competing with Others Boosts User Engagement
Humans are inherently competitive, and each separate person loves to compete with him or herself. Facebook is the best at driving this competition. Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter are also following the trend. In reality, all social networks can get the most out of this gamified competition idea. Can you get more likes than your friends? Can you get the most followers, pins, hearts, etc.? It’s all just one big game. Of course, there are more straightforward examples of this. Any site that uses leaderboards and high scores immediately trigger that instinct to compete!
A while ago, the BBC allowed users to gather small leagues for people to forecast scores in the European soccer cup. Entire families got hooked and were checking BBC sites every single day to see if they got their scores right and check if they’d passed other people in their leagues.
Humans Are Addicted to Exploring and Escaping
The entire reason people love video games is fueled by escapism. Getting lost in new worlds and roleplaying is why video games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy are so immensely popular. When you let users explore, they become intrigued and excited. And these two are incredibly powerful emotions. Not only that, these emotions fuel the creation of a positive user experience.
Certainly, this exploration must be thoroughly structured, so website visitors don’t get lost. But, take a look at how Netflix lets its users take control and explore the platform how they like and want to. Giving people the freedom to reveal rabbit holes nourishes their sense of curiosity. The sensation that you can run across something new is thrilling. If you encourage that, you will boost your site’s user experience and increase lead generation and conversion rates.
Humans Love Being Rewarded
Every single person loves rewards. People like to achieve things. Points, likes, shares these make people feel good and make websites entertaining. However, why not just go one step forward and offer an actual, real-life reward?
One of the most obvious examples is Starbuck - their rewards are offered after a particular number of buys. Recyclebank also offers its members rewards for recycling. People can accumulate points to exchange them for deals or local discounts further. Or both. Most people will go out of their way to get a reward. So, rewards drive website user action.
People Want Exclusivity
People pay thousands of dollars for first-class airplane tickets for a reason. Of course, you can lie in a bed and have a glass of champagne. However, these features are not why what you’re buying - it’s status you’re paying for. Exclusivity generates curiosity, intrigue, and jealousy. People will always work very hard to get up to that status. It’s similar to unlocking a secret video game level. You get a huge dopamine hit and a chance to look at something exclusive, behind the scenes.
Teamwork and Collaboration Drive Engagement
Community and collaboration are two essential parts of another important mental driver. Humans are social animals, and this is why they love playing multiplayer games. If you manage to make users feel like they are part of a community or team on their journey, you will create loyalty and a great user experience. Gamification works well here.
Kickstarter is a great example of the proper use of this community gamification. Firstly, site developers have gamified progress bars, exclusive high-bidder rewards, time-limits, and goals. It is one of the most gamified sites on the Internet. It’ the spirit of collaboration and community that makes it so successful. When a project finally achieves its funding goal, it’s perceived as a mutual achievement. Talk to your web design agency and try to find ways to get people together in a common achievement or goal on your site.
Dopamine Addiction Makes People Come Back for More
Gamification triggers a dopamine rush. Leveling up, getting rewards, receiving feedback, or achieving a goal all give humans dopamine rushes. It is the brain telling people to do it again because it feels so good! And guess what? This is how addictions begin.
There is a clear reason people get addicted to gaming. And there’s a reason why websites that get gamified manage to retain their users and improve their metrics. People keep coming back for more of that dopamine - they love it and can’t stop.
Conclusion
Keeping people interested in your site, not to mention getting them engaged with it, is no easy task. But gamification helps with both. There’s no need to create a cheesy online game instead of a company website. Creating a good environment keeps your site visitors interested and wanting to come back for more. All it takes to do this is a matter of proper understanding of how design works and what exactly games do.
It’s best to connect your web design agency with your in-house marketing team to get the best results so that all the necessary things are placed upfront, etc. Your website visitors must value what you provide to them and enjoy spending time on your site, whether they are determined to make a purchase or want to check out a blog article. Give your visitors a little bit of control and reward their achievements at the right points of their journey – just let a web design agency help you with all the details.
Comments