Gamification badges are a compelling strategy to boost user engagement and loyalty in mobile applications. As marketers seek innovative ways to captivate their audience, badges make apps more interactive and rewarding.

What are gamification badges?

Gamification badges are digital tokens of achievement users earn by completing specific tasks or reaching certain milestones within an app.

These badges not only serve as a testament to the user's accomplishments but also add a layer of excitement and challenge to the app experience.

They can be customized and strategically implemented to encourage desired behaviors, increase user retention, and enhance overall engagement.

Psychology behind badges

Understanding the psychological impact of badges is crucial for their effective implementation.

These badges tap into basic human desires for achievement and recognition, triggering a sense of accomplishment and pride.

The anticipation of earning a badge can motivate users to engage more deeply with the app, pushing them to explore its features thoroughly.

Examples of badges in mobile apps

Monobank

Monobank introduced a successful gamification initiative in 2019. Users were encouraged to complete straightforward tasks, such as updating their profiles or making transactions with ApplePay, to earn badges.

Exclusive rewards and benefits were offered to the first users who collected all badges.

Duolingo

Duolingo uses badges as a way to encourage language learners to maintain daily streaks or complete challenging skills, thereby promoting consistent app usage and learning habits.

Fitbit

In the fitness app Fitbit, badges are awarded for various physical activities, such as walking a certain number of steps, which motivates users to achieve their fitness goals.

They provide unique names for each badge, making it more interesting.

Challenges faced while creating badges in-house

Developers need to build the core mobile app. They need more time to keep adding and monitoring badges(designs, content, analytics, etc).

On top of that, every new gamification experiment with badges takes 2 weeks to build, another 2 weeks to make the app release, and another month or so to understand whether your badges have achieved the desired engagement.

Build your unique badge feature in a no-code manner with Plotline

Plotline's in-app engagement platform is designed to integrate badges and other interactive gamification features like streaks, quizzes, spin-the-wheel, and scratch cards.

Additionally, you can use other UI elements like tooltips, spotlights, stories, coachmarks, PiP videos, etc., to educate, retain, and motivate your users effectively.

If this sounds interesting, start your free trial with Plotline and we can explore how we can boost engagement and retention for your mobile app.