The developers have incorporated several compelling gamification principles and rewards mechanics into the app design to help motivate and engage users. Some of the key gamification elements utilized include:
Experience points (XP) and levels: As users complete tasks, interact with content, and achieve certain goals within the app, they are awarded XP points. These points accumulate and allow users to level up over time. Leveling up provides a sense of achievement and progress to keep users engaged in continuous improvement. Higher levels may unlock additional features or privileges to incentivize further advancement.
Achievements and badges: Specific notable accomplishments or milestones within the app are rewarded with virtual achievements or badges. These could be something like “Read 5 articles” or “Commented on 10 posts”. Displaying achievement badges on user profiles satisfies the human psychological need for recognition and social status. It also gives a visual indication of experience and expertise to other users.
Challenges and contests: Time-bound challenges or contests are created where users can compete either against themselves or others to complete a specific task first. This activates competitiveness and encourages greater participation and effort within a limited time period. Winning challenging provides social proof of skills and also virtual prizes like stars, coins or extra XP.
Leaderboards: Performance of top-ranking users for certain activities is displayed on public leaderboards. This allows users to compare their stats and progress against others. The ability to climb up the leaderboard is a strong motivation to improve one’s position through repeated practice and engagement with the app over time.
Virtual currency and Economy: In-app actions that users take are rewarded with a virtual currency like “coins” or “gems”. These can then be used to purchase virtual items, customizations, power ups, or new features/content to enhance the app experience. An internal economy where currency can be earned and spent engages basic human impulses to collect, earn, and acquire objectives through effort.
Daily login bonuses: Users are incentivized to open the app every day through “daily bonuses” – extra rewards given for logging in each consecutive day. This could be in the form of doubled XP, bonus currency or even special limited time items. Consistent daily engagement is important for most apps and this is a light touch way to cultivate a regular habit.
Social/Collaborative elements: The ability for users to perform tasks collaboratively or to see activity/stats of friends enhances the social experience. Features like joining groups, gifting/trading with friends, cooperative missions and real-time leaderboards against your social connections leverages basic human tendencies for social influence, companionship and altruism while gaming.
Customizable avatars/profiles: Gamification provides an identity and story within the virtual world through a customizable profile. Having an avatar that levels up and earns new visual accessories/outfits over time as rewards further enhances the immersive experience. Users feel more engaged when they have ownership over their unique customizable representations.
Feedback loops: Gamified systems incorporate frequent positive feedback loops where progress is made in small, regular increments reinforced by achievement triggers, level-ups, virtual rewards etc. This intermittent variable ratio positive reinforcement keeps the brain engaged in the behavior longer for ongoing motivation.
As you can see, the app developers have thoughtfully incorporated a wide variety of well-established gamification principles from the field of behavioral psychology and game design thinking. These elements work together to satisfy basic intrinsic human motivations which induce flow, stimulate dopamine releases in the brain, foster social connections and healthy competition to keep users engaged long-term in improving themselves through the app experience over time. The use ofXP, levels, badges, challenges, leaderboards, economies and other such techniques amplify the fun and drive continuous participation far better than a clinical or boring design would.