Enhancing User Engagement
Alternate Smoking Product Loyalty Campaign
Project Type
Product Research
Team Size
4
Deliverables
Stakeholder Interviews, Product Research, User Journey Mapping, Cross-Functional Collaboration
The Project
The Loyalty Platform is a customer rewards program designed to engage users through interactive features that incentivize participation and foster long-term retention. The client sought a redesign to address declining user engagement, better define the progression and rewards system, and ensure compliance with legal regulations while offering a more dynamic and engaging user experience.
The Problem
Based on UX research on the platform, the following issues were identified:
Low Re-engagement Rates: Users visited briefly, completed a few spins, and rarely returned.
Confusing Progression System: Users struggled to understand the token mechanics and their progression toward rewards.
Repetitive Core Mechanic: The spin-the-wheel feature lacked variety and failed to sustain user interest.
Complex Reward Structure: The tiered reward system was difficult to understand, making it unclear how users could earn larger prizes.
Verification Drop-off: Few users completed the ID verification process, limiting access to premium rewards and full platform features.
The Challenges
How can we design mechanics that motivate users to return multiple times a week and maintain engagement over time?
What alternative gameplay mechanics can we introduce to replace the repetitive spin-the-wheel while keeping the experience intuitive and engaging?
What can we do to simplify progression tracking and help users understand how their actions lead to rewards?
How do we ensure all gamification elements comply with legal regulations and align with cultural expectations in Japan?
How can we encourage users to complete hard verification without creating frustration or friction?
How can we balance instant gratification with long-term reward goals to sustain user motivation?
A competitor benchmark was conducted with platforms using similar gamification mechanics in their loyalty programs.
The competitors were benchmarked based on their different implementations of gamification and related mechanics.
Based on benchmarking, two approaches for gamification were created with one approach being conservative and another being more ambitious.
Incentivizing Users to Verify
The verification process is seamlessly woven into the gamification framework to ensure compliance with legal regulations while maximizing user motivation.
Soft Verification:
Upon accessing the platform, users are required to confirm their age. This grants limited access but sets the stage for encouraging hard verification through visible rewards and incentives.Hard Verification Integration:
Reward Multipliers: Non-verified users receive base rewards (e.g., 1x points), while verified users earn 2x points for the same activities. This stark contrast highlights the added value of completing verification.
Premium Prize Access: Certain rewards, such as aspirational prizes and higher-tier missions, are exclusive to verified users. Clear labels (e.g., “Verified Users Only”) create a compelling incentive to verify.
Milestone Triggers: The system prompts users to verify when they approach significant milestones, ensuring verification feels like a natural step in their progression journey.
Conversational Onboarding with Verification Incentives:
During the onboarding process, users are guided through a conversational flow that collects their information in a friendly, interactive manner. Subtle messages like “Verified users unlock double rewards!” encourage users to proceed with hard verification.Verification Process and Gamified Feedback:
Users upload their ID through a clear, step-by-step process with progress indicators.
Upon successful verification, users are greeted with a celebratory message, a “Verified Badge,” and a summary of their upgraded rewards (e.g., doubled points).
Failed verifications are handled gently with re-upload prompts, ensuring users are encouraged to complete the process without frustration.
The Gamification Canvas
Tenets of the Campaign
The gamification canvas highlights a comprehensive framework designed to enhance user engagement, retention, and progression within the loyalty platform. This system incorporates key gamification mechanics such as streaks, challenges, milestone rewards, and content-driven engagement, all structured to incentivize regular participation while guiding users toward completing verification. The integration of incentives ensures that both verified and non-verified users are engaged, while offering exclusive benefits to encourage users to verify their accounts.
Progress Tracking and Visual Feedback:
Users can easily monitor their progress through dashboard elements like streak counters, activity completion, and reward bars. This provides immediate feedback on their achievements, fostering a sense of accomplishment and reinforcing continued engagement.
Streaks and Challenges:
Daily Streaks: Encourage users to return daily by offering incremental rewards for consecutive logins and task completions.
Weekly Challenges: These extend engagement through themed tasks that reward users with bonus points or entries for premium prizes.
Tiered Rewards System:
Instant rewards (e.g., digital vouchers) keep users motivated with immediate gratification.
Long-term prizes (e.g., trips or electronics) incentivize sustained participation by rewarding users at milestones.
Micro Games:
These quick, simple games provide users with additional points or coins as part of their engagement activities. They create dynamic interactions and add variety to gameplay.
Leaderboards:
Leaderboards encourage friendly competition by ranking users based on streaks or challenge performance, fostering a light social dynamic.
Content-Driven Engagement:
Users can interact with videos, quizzes, or product-related tasks to earn additional points, seamlessly tying engagement with promotional objectives.
