Product gamification can be transformative in some industries. However, not all products need gamification (i.e. Bloomberg Terminal, SWIFT among the few). But if you are confident that gamification can serve your users' and business goals better, you need to align gamification with your product's core value and foster intrinsic motivation. Tailor game elements to individual preferences, strike a balance between gamification and non-game elements, and embrace experimentation. Foster a sense of community and continuously improve through data-driven insights, just as Duolinguo did. Gamification is not just about fun; it's about adding purpose and driving business goals.

While understanding your users is important, it can sometimes lead to designing products that cater too much to what users say they want, rather than what they actually need. There's a balance to be struck between user feedback and visionary product design. After all, as Henry Ford famously said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."

Understanding why's is still essential. Everyone talks about it but barely does. Focus on what you want to achieve and why. You don't want clicks, this is vanity metrics, and you want conversions. And want the funnel being measured across the journey.

Another example of game element which has become common is Constraints. Constraints, Limitations, Deadlines, It doesn’t sound funny at all, right?. However, it is still a game element. Countdowns are often used in games to motivate players to complete a certain level or task within a limited time. Although constraints seem to create psychological tension for the users, they also motivate them to react faster and take action. Actually, many users need and want to be limited in time to be inspired and become more productive. It’s an excellent opportunity for you, as the designer, to address the user’s needs.

Your product must bring value to the users. So do the game elements. When choosing the approach to gamify your product experience, make sure the rewards are relevant, resonate with your audience and do them good. For example, if you use game elements in your diet app to encourage your users to stick to the chosen meal plan every day, maybe don't offer them a free meal in McDonalds as a reward for 5-day diet strike 😉

In game design, instead of throwing a kitchen sink of game mechanics at players too quickly, leaving them frustrated and overwhelmed.You should slowly dole out these mechanics over time, so that when players starts to feel like they’re mastering the game, there’s a new shiny mechanic that makes things more interesting again. Similarly, in SaaS, poor onboarding assaults the user with 27 to-dos. Even if 27 steps are necessary, consider breaking them into sections so the user doesn't feel as overwhelmed.Temper the voice that wants the user to use "all the great features" and build the flow focused on that first early win. Once that win (level) is under the users's belt, you'll earn the right to keep them leveling up.

Put it simply, gamification is adding game mechanics into nongame environments. But why? Usually you'll do this to incentivize user engagement or contribution to a product. If there is an element you can add to your products that provides the right incentive, then user will auto-engage... then if you offer rewards for their "gaming", you can A/B test the features with and with out it.

The question should probably be flipped. How do you design gamification to support a product? Gamification is an engagement mechanism and can be effective when used in the right way. But have a terrible impact on experience when used wrongly. It depends on what you’re trying to do. If it’s user attention you want, you can gamify viewing hours through rewards or badges. I’d it’s productivity, gamify time to value/job done. If it’s transaction, gamify purchases and offer discounts and loyalty tiers. When it doesn’t work is when it’s not tailored and gets in the way. For complex b2b systems users may not care about gamification but rather efficiency and simplicity.