Tag Archives: Gamification

Corporate Learning and Development, Employee-Training, Game-based learning, Gamification, QuoDeck

How hyper-casual gaming can be used to transform enterprise outcomes 

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It’s undeniable that gaming is no longer a niche, but has become mainstream. In the past, gaming as an activity or culture was identified with console gaming through PlayStations and Xbox, which were far too unattainable to gain mainstream acceptance. But mobile gaming has taken the world by storm and has gained broad-based appeal and adoption. Gen-Z and Millennial audiences, especially, spend more time gaming than on any other form of entertainment. 

Even within gaming,  the hyper-casual game genre has become increasingly popular. As a game genre, it accounted for almost 60% of mobile game downloads out of the top 20 billion downloads in 2021. With simple user interfaces, compact sizes, and highly visual designs, hyper-casual games have a broad appeal among digital audiences, and not just among Gen-Z and Millennial players. So, given the popularity of this genre, how can this be leveraged to drive enterprise outcomes. 

Today, let’s take a tour of hyper-casual games, their characteristics, and their incorporation into the enterprise to drive the best business outcomes. 

What are Hyper-Casual Games?

Let’s start with what hyper-casual games are. They are games that incorporate simple mechanics such as clicking on something repeatedly, or swiping and selecting, or just clicking to avoid obstacles. They don’t require high levels of hand-eye coordination and incorporate bright visuals to make them eye-catching. Therefore, the level of skill asked of the player of a hyper-casual game is very low, making these games playable across all age groups. 

Hyper casual games will also have mechanisms such as simple level-ups, bonus gatherings, and repeat visit rewards, all to make the player feel good about playing the game with easier ‘wins’. 

Although they tend to concentrate on a single basic mechanic, such as endless running or finding hidden objects, hyper-casual games are nonetheless tricky enough to keep players engaged. In short, hyper-casual games are simple to learn but challenging to master, which draws players in repeatedly. The genre is famous for being played in small or snackable bursts, that gamers can enjoy while waiting in line or commuting to work.

How can games be used to drive enterprise outcomes?

Considering its minimal game mechanics and addictive game play it is easy to incorporate learning into hyper-casual games to increase knowledge retention and engagement, leading to higher productivity. 

Question-based, hyper-casual gaming is a mechanic where questions can be answered to gain more time or lives or rewards in a game. As players play the game longer and longer to achieve high scores, they encounter these questions again and again as they seek to gain more time/lives to reach a higher score than before. Such a mechanic is known to drive higher recall of these facts or concepts, simply because they are seen again and again. This is a scientific technique called ‘Spaced Repetition’, where the repetition of these questions places difficult-to-recall facts and information in front of a learner multiple times until it excites not just rote memory, but visual memory as well. Multi-sensory memory ensures that these facts stick in the mind of the learner for a long time. 

Based on the ‘high scores’, players then get to see a leaderboard, where they can compete with others on knowledge. This leaderboard spurs players to try to keep knocking others off the top perch and creates a ‘Pull’ mechanism for the content. Therefore, the need to beg and cajole learners to consume the content is very low. Additionally, social media mechanics can be added to create buzz such as sharing their wins on internal company pages or running these as contests, which reward those at the top of the leaderboard. 

To sum up, it is undeniable that the popularity of the hyper-casual gaming genre combined with incorporating learning approaches makes it a potent tool in the hands of smart, new-age enterprise learning and capability development professionals. As the proportions of enterprise audiences start to lean more heavily in favor of millennials and Gen-Z, enterprises must make the leap to these approaches in order to remain relevant in these young minds.

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QuoDeck launches a one-of-a-kind gamified campaign #D2City for D2C brands in India

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QuoDeck, India’s leading SaaS Digital Learning and Engagement Platform, has launched a one-of-a-kind gamified campaign designed as an interactive digital city that allows visitors to experience, explore, play and learn about their favourite D2C brands.

The visionary new gamified campaign https://gamiquo.com/interactive/#/d2city will be live on the QuoDeck platform from 14th February till the end of the month. For the campaign, the company has featured 25 big and small D2C brands from Cosmetics, Electronics, Personal Care, Food, and apparel, amongst other industries.

Over the past decade, the D2C model has gained traction in India due to the growth in eCommerce penetration and is expected to be a $100 Bn+ market opportunity By 2025. At present, more than 800 D2C brands are vying to impress Indian audiences.

“We believe that innovative brand communication is key to the success of D2C brands, as most D2C brands target unique niches with nuanced value propositions, and through #D2City campaign, we are offering these brands a high engagement marketing tactic to create brand affinity,” said Kamalika Bhattacharya, CEO, QuoDeck.

“In a world with unpredictable consumer behaviour, fickle brand loyalty, countless channels, and platforms, brands need to accentuate focus on being more relatable and human, and we believe game-led engagement does precisely this by bridging the gap between brands and technology,” She added.

QuoDeck has curated various leading D2C brands and listed them on a virtual platform that is a mobile-friendly gaming microsite designed as a city with buildings, with key buildings playing host to brands. Users can interact with the buildings, play branded games and stand a chance to win gift vouchers if they top the leaderboards of the respective games.

The D2City campaign leverages the growing popularity of gamification to help D2C brands capture consumer attention. The Gamification market is expected to grow to USD 38.3 Billion by 2027, from USD 9.1 billion in 2020.

“We at QuoDeck aim to furnish highly engaging and personalised gamification products for brands for their target audience,” Kamalika further said.

Established in 2017 by avid gamers, the platform uses gaming principles to engage enterprise learners and provide data-based insights to improve user experience.

This was first published on Business News This Week

Corporate Learning and Development, Corporate Learning Best Practices, Game-based learning, Gamification, Mobile Learning

Will Gamification For D2C Brands Work?

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As D2C brands take on established brand mammoths to capture consumer attention, with proven use cases of gamification and many well-known brands reaping its rewards, gamification has now become an essential weapon in any smart, new-age marketer’s arsenal

With the world undergoing unprecedented transformations since the Covid-19 pandemic began, enterprises across the globe are reimagining their branding and marketing strategies to adapt and realign with the changing needs of their consumers.

One sector that has stood out from the rest in the post-pandemic era has been D2C retail, which saw a significant uptick in demand during these times. At present, D2C brands have sprung up in multiple sectors, including fashion, FMCG, Homecare, Femtech, personal care, baby care, cosmetics, lifestyle, home décor, consumer electronics, among others. More than 800 D2C brands in India are carving a niche for themselves, with many more to join the ecosystem in the coming years. Such a backdrop points to an increasingly competitive space where only those who deploy the best brand strategies will survive in the long run.

The most significant challenge faced by D2C brands today is one of creating brand recognition among consumers. Given the lack of a physical space where consumers can experience or see the brand, digital mediums such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp etc., become the primary mediums through which consumers are reached. However, high clutter in these channels makes content differentiation a critical marketing need.

Gamification, as a strategy, is one such way in which D2C brands can strongly differentiate and attract new consumers.

There is a natural instinct in every person to compete, to be challenged, to have fun, to be rewarded, and to mirror. These five innate instincts can be satiated through games and gamified engagement. Furthermore, when people play games, they feel motivated and experience a positive ’rush’. Gamification in the context of marketing merely couples these positive emotions through game elements and game principles with a topic or information about a product.

Gamification is already widely used in a variety of contexts across sectors with the ultimate goal of entertaining, engaging, and educating audiences. Globally the Gamification market is expected to grow to USD 38.3 Billion by 2027, from USD 9.1 billion in 2020. The global gaming market is expected to be USD 268.8 billion in 2025, up from USD 178 billion in 2021. This is fueled by growing acceptance of this medium in the minds of consumers across the world. As younger populations enter the working age and with the advent of mediums such as VR, this trend is only expected to magnify.

In the context of D2C brands, tried and tested gamification methods can be a game-changer in many ways, some of which we’ve explored here.

Enhance reach and brand awareness

Brands can use games to create fun interactive content for people to discover and understand their brand and products. Using gamification elements incentivizes the interaction while creating hype for your product or services among consumers. This is also a great way to promote newly launched products or campaigns; there is a high likelihood that a consumer may participate or make a purchase with a game as a hook.

When you integrate a game into your brand content across different consumer touchpoints, you also encourage your consumers to share their gaming experience with their social networks, as gaming activities get a lot of shares.

This increases a brand’s reach and awareness, thereby making it easy to attract new consumers. For example, a study by Gigya, a customer identity management platform, found that brands such as Nike, Dell and Pepsi, who used gamified elements in their content, saw a 13% increase in post comments, 22% more post shares and a phenomenal 68% content discovery rate.

Drive Engagement and Increase Brand Loyalty

Game principles can be used to achieve the holy grail of marketing – sustained engagement. According to Digital Marketing Forum, 60% of people admit that an appealing game from a brand may influence them to buy more from that brand. Similarly, a survey conducted by Ask Your Target Market found that 38% of people enjoy their shopping experience when brands include games or interactive features. This data indicates that gamification can enhance sales, brand awareness, and customer loyalty and help develop an emotional connect with the audience. This, in turn, leads to a longer relationship with consumers, as opposed to simple brand awareness. Brands that gamify to raise engagement find that games also tend to boost customer experience and satisfaction.

With the increased demand for consumer entertainment since the pandemic began, brands can leverage gamification to make the user’s engagement with the brand more enjoyable and dynamic. Bain & Company’s research shows that increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.

Grab new segments’ attention: Target Generation Z and Millennials.

While gamification for digital marketing works well across all ages and demographics, games perform exceptionally well with Millennial and Gen Z audiences, as indicated by the Consumer Insights research, which found that about 81% of Gen Z gamers reported playing games in the past six months. Millennials and GenZ make up the majority of the 600 million internet users in India, and they are driving online shopping like never before. As a result, D2C

brands are getting higher responses and witnessing a sharp rise in engagement and visibility from Millennials and Gen-Z, who make up the major share of online shoppers. This points to a huge opportunity for D2C to leverage the affinity of Millenials and GenZ towards games and use gamified elements to drive revenue and engagement.

Generate data for personalisation and user retention

With hundreds of D2C startups and traditional retail companies vying to take the D2C route, customer acquisition costs are rising. A data-driven understanding of the customer can help D2C brands deliver unique experiences across channels, thus, improving retention and increasing overall customer LTV. Games naturally lend themselves to capturing higher levels of data that can indicate consumer behaviour or preferences. This sort of data can be generated through gamification applied across multiple touchpoints in the consumer decision journey.

The data collected can help D2C brands optimise experiences across customer lifecycle stages while reducing overall marketing costs.

As D2C brands take on established brand mammoths to capture consumer attention, they may need to find innovative ways of appealing to consumers. What better way than to deliver a personalised experience to make consumers feel like part of something unique and niche. With proven use cases of gamification and many well-known brands reaping its rewards, gamification has now become an essential weapon in any smart, new-age marketer’s arsenal.

By Kamalika Bhattacharya, CEO & Co-Founder at QuoDeck

This article was first published on BW Disrupt

Corporate Learning and Development, e-Learning, Game-based learning, Game-based Learning Infographics, Gamification

The Best Tips To Get A Gamified Course: 5 Ways To Give Your Students a Fun Learning Experience  

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Applying a gamified learning method is a new technique many institutions are adopting today. Amplayfy offers effective ways for modern learners. 

The new-age learners of today can be referred to as modern learners. They have an abundance of information that they can anytime and anywhere, which can be quite overwhelming. However, if we compare today’s generation with the older ones, they have comparatively lesser attention spans. 

Thus, the need to include the correct way of learning is crucial for this generation to ensure that they are engaged and attentive. What can be better than gamification techniques for learners to enhance their engagement? Many studies have proven that such strategies affect not only their performance but also their productivity. To create such engaging courses, you can check out Amplayfy for the plenty of such options offered by them. 

Tips to make gamified courses:

Here are five tips to get an effective gamified course for learners and have a fun learning experience:

Tip 1: Know your students

a) Know the difficult parts 

Try to find out the trouble spots of the students since it will allow you to build the best gamification techniques for the classroom. The significant reason for finding students’ trouble areas is that they will let themselves be at the forefront of the gamified strategy.

b) Conduct a Survey 

You should conduct a survey in your class to design the right ways to keep them engaged. The aim is to learn about the games that students are most interested in. 

Tip 2: Set the learning goals

a) Define goals

Have proper objectives in the form of learning goals that will help solve the troubles of the learners. Setting learning goals will allow students to learn concepts and grow their skills. Add behavior goals to include guiding students to concentrate and perform efficiently.

b) Design projects that allow meeting these goals

Give the students ample choices that challenge as well as suit their abilities. You can accept the projects in the form of a presentation, creative writing, paper or essay, and even a creative product that suits the given topic. 

Step 3: Make a structure of the gamified learning experience

a) Modify the scoring system

For most students, marks or scores are the most frightening part of a school. The aim of gamification is to avoid the old ways of presenting marks and modify them. Try to focus more on their progress rather than on their mistakes. 

You can also give points for finishing extra-curricular tasks, being active in the class, or anything that shows their effort to learn.

b) Utilize ‘stages’

You can alter how you name the topics and chapters and try referring to them as stages. Unlike teachers, students might fail to resonate while referring to topics and chapters. However, students might be able to relate when you call it stages, especially gamers. 

As in games, to go to the next stage, they have to overcome the current challenges. Similarly, they have to apply the same technique for studies as well. You can try this by mentioning particular tasks as mandatory to go to the next stage. For example, unless students finish their homework or take part in class and quizzes, they won’t be allowed to go to the next stage. 

Step 4: Know the resources

a) Make a manual and form teams

Like almost all video games, try to make instruction manuals that explain to the students how they should work. Your manual can hold information such as:

  • How stages function
  • The type of task that learners will handle
  • Explain the new scoring system 
  • How learners can gain rewards, and what are those rewards 

It will be a reference for learners, which will tell what they should do to be successful in a gamified scenario.

Step 5: Use gamification factors

a) Ensure the progress is visible to the learners

Showing the progress made by the learners is an essential element of gamification. It is almost like promoting the student community. Try to inculcate the method of displaying their growth and what they have achieved so far. 

You can apply different techniques to display their progress, like a bar chart. Make and share a bar chart that holds the growth made by every learner in learning a skill. When someone gets a score on winning a quiz or finishes homework and assignments on time, you can immediately fill up his or her bar. 

Those students who are making good progress will be motivated to make better growth. And those students who are not doing well will be motivated to work harder to reach that goal. In this process, every student will learn important skills.

b) Offer rewards

Giving rewards is the best way to merge gamification and learning, which is going to keep the students engaged. Many studies have proved that rewards in gamified education motivate learners to acknowledge their achievements and work harder to make progress. 

Conclusion

While the process of studying and learning tends to be boring for most students, gamification can help make it an engaging experience. The tips listed above can help you implement a gamified course and make it fun for the students. Get started on it now!

Game-based learning, Gamification

6 Power Sales Lessons that Put Gamification to Good Use

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An effective tool for boosting sales and engagement is gamification. There are layered benefits and impacts of gamification for customer engagement. Some brands and sites still aren’t able to extract the best use. An off-place rewards offer or boring content can be a no-go for your business. Basically, the forced inclusion of gamification in some form just for the sake of it often misfires.  

A gamified element can be exciting for users. But, customers also spot a well-placed gamified element. They know when one has been forced onto your site. Something too complex, too lengthy to follow can be methodological. But, with something downright uninteresting, customers are usually likely to be repelled. It is understandable that finding the proper use of gamification for your purpose can be tricky. Check out these six power sales lessons that put gamification to good use: 

Lesson 1: Divide your sales strategy into small chunks with gamification 

All the information for going through your platform can be overwhelming. Or, getting to know your service can be a bit too much for the customer. At times, customers simply don’t follow or snap out of their attention span.  

For instance, let’s say your service manual for the user is never-ending. Using gamification here can be a great way of dividing ideas. The user-action path, when divided into small chunks, can be easily comprehended. An excellent example of this implementation is Salesforce. Their use of gamification breaks down the action path for their users.  

Salesforce ITC gamified ITC Adoption Challenge  

Image Source: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/making-salesforce-user-adoption-fun-blog/  

Lesson 2: Create some healthy competition and make customers feel involved 

Users are always up for a fun contest to revive their competitive streak. A healthy contest that requires them to put in some effort to see results is a great concept that can be used with gamification. The idea here is to make the customers feel involved and in charge of their progress on the interface. If they know they can work to rise on top of the chart, they’re more likely to get back to the app for frequent use.  

One example of the competition-based use of gamification is with Nike’s Run Club. There are different target goals and achievement metrics. Here, fitness freaks have just the thing they need to be motivated for fitness while also having the incentive of exciting prices. What better form of engagement could there be for a fitness brand?  

Nike’s gamified Run Club 

Image Source:https://www.appcues.com/blog/getting-gamification-right  

Lesson 3: Extend a community experience 

The feeling of belonging is one that keeps bringing people back. This is exactly what a digital or virtual community experience brings to the table. This could also have a hint of competition. Or, merely regular updates, and interactions with members of that community. A community-based gamification experience makes sense for people with similar interests. People related to that brand can be brought together for a shared experience.  

A great example of this is Samsung Nation – a shared and interactive community space to check out new arrivals, earn rewards, and stay updated with all ongoings with the community.  

Samsung Nation  

Image Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Enterprise-and-Business-Example-Samsung-Nation_fig11_292720849  

Lesson 4: Trigger a sense of achievement with a “level-up” vibe 

Gamification need not necessarily always be a game, it could sometimes be even for sales. Gamification elements that offer a sense of achievement with a level up to look forward to work great for customer retention and sales.  

Have a look at the Forest App’s gamified interface. With each milestone of focussed time, users can unlock new trees to plant for their productivity missions. Not to mention the adorable interface with the level-up concept, which has truly worked wonders for the brand. 

Forest App Gamification 

Image Source: https://uxplanet.org/what-to-learn-from-the-forest-apps-gamification-5d8fe48eb4f4  

Lesson 5: Incorporate gamification with the main goal of your interface 

A great interface can be created if you incorporate gamification with the primary goal of your platform. This can include reward programs and incentives. Or choosing a product or specification. And, pretty much all activities involved in the severe sales aspect of your business.  

Image1 Source: https://feedier.com/blog/gamification/magic-gamification-examples/  

Image2 Source: https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/starbucks-gamifying-the-coffee-buying-experience-212acc6b40eb  

Lesson 6: Personalize the gamification experience 

The last one is a lesson to make your customers feel special. A hint of personalization always does the trick. A gamified element to present personal details of the user, track them, and adjust them as per their preferences is always well-appreciated.  

For instance, Duolingo, the language learning app, has used personalized gamification to perfection. The Duolingo bird is an interactive addition to the interface. The words/phrases that users are well versed with are tracked to present a learning interface that is at par with their current learning. This is done through gamified interactions and quizzes.  

Duolingo’s Gamified Interface 

Image Source: https://octalysisgroup.com/duolingo-review/  

Conclusion 

Are you missing out on the benefits of gamification because you don’t understand it? Try implementing one of the discussed power strategies to work for your specific purpose. The idea is to integrate something fun, practical, and meaningful within your content. When used right, gamification can be the make or break element for customer retention and engagement. In the longer run, it’s better to consider options for getting on the gamification bandwagon that let your competitors take the lead. Figure out what would work for your sales strategy, experiment a little, and you’ll be sure to find your perfect gamification fix! 

Game-based learning, Gamification

5 Game Elements that create effective learning games

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You must have heard the phrase: learn by playing. This is not just a saying, but it actually works, as games help in the production of dopamine in the brain that stimulates attention and induces learning.  

And with the revolutionized gaming industry, even educators can learn a lot and apply the strategies to make the teaching effective. But before dwelling on that subject, one must understand the elements that create effective learning games.  

So, without wasting time, let’s know more about them.  

  1. A well-crafted story 

Who doesn’t love a good story? People live for stories. And when a story is introduced in the game, it helps the player feel more immersed in the game. It provides them a meaning, and they understand what is needed from them. And most importantly, the learning aspects become far easier than including just a handful of facts.  

While doing so, the developer must take care of 4 areas: character, plot, conflict, and resolution. Yes, a gaming story does demand a lot of creative thinking, but it is certainly worth the effort. 

  1. Great visuals 

Just like a story, even the aesthetics pull people towards the game. One has seen the immersive experience it creates for the gamers in games like PubG, but it is equally important in learning games. Statistics suggest that visuals increase the willingness to read by 80 percent and comprehension by 95 percent. Also, kids follow directions better with visuals than just text.  

In fact, Quodeck can help you design your gaming platform to create interactive experiences for the learners so that they engage with it easily.  

  1. Interactive gameplay 

Players are usually the actors in a game. And hence, it is essential to keep them involved to stimulate maximum learning. It is best to keep passive activities at the minimum and to make the game as interactive as possible. 

For instance, a traditional technique usually involves making the learner watch a video and understand what was done correctly and incorrectly. But in the case of interactive gaming, the learner will walk through the particular scenario and decide what should be done.  

Infact, there are several ways in which games can be made interactive. These include role-plays, puzzles, competitions, etc.  

  1. Challenge the learner  

It is also essential to keep the learner engaged in the game, and the best way to do that is by challenging them from time to time. But it is necessary to keep the challenges balanced. Challenges that are too complex will make them feel frustrated, and they may lose interest. Hence, it is good to start with simple requirements and test the learner at various stages to ensure that the right level is set.  

  1. Introduce a Reward 

Learning in students is often enhanced when linked to some reward that they win through the game. One approach to reward can be when they complete cumbersome or menial tasks. Also, the reward should be linked to performance, rather than mere competition. In this way, the learners will be encouraged to give their best, and by doing this, they will even start learning better.  

In the end  

To summarise, each of the above-mentioned gaming elements motivates the players and stimulates learning in them in a playful manner.  It is now high time that educators work in collaboration with the designers to make learning easy and fun.  

And of course, with the presence of multiple gaming elements, it is difficult to decide a perfect fit. But with constant testing and tweaking, it is possible to create a successful learning game.

e-Learning, Employee-Training, Game-based learning, Gamification

7 gamification trends to follow in 2021

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Gamification is likely to fill in the gaps that were not earlier considered. The gaming factor is positive and good. Here are 7 gamification trends you can follow in 2021.

Games tend to be fun and engaging, which has paved the way for the popularity of gamification across multiple sectors. After all, gamification can turn a boring task into a refreshing one. Gamification has been around for quite a while, especially in the academic sector. In recent times, however, it has become rather mainstream.

Therefore, it does not seem like gamification would become obsolete any time soon, and the trend is likely to go on in the near future.

What exactly is gamification?

Gamification is just a technique where the designers integrate non-gaming settings with gameplay elements. This ensures better user experiences with any product or service. For example, in a business, gamification can help keep the team motivated and provide them with various incentives.

Gamification can be as simple as integrating badges and leaderboards into a system that already exists.

What are the top applications of gamification in 2021?

Various gamification trends have emerged in recent times. Some of the applications of gamification are:

Remote onboarding

Lately, work from home has become extremely popular across different sectors. As an increasing number of activities have gone digital, so has onboarding. Various companies are onboarding their new employees remotely, through mobile apps.

These apps come with features such as trivia-style games, team rankings, and provisions for challenging colleagues. This helps to build a sense of belongingness and team spirit from the very onset.

Digital events

Currently, there exists a constant need for sophistication in a fast-paced world. As a result, an increasing number of companies are holding their events and meetings online. This trend has grown significantly more potent during the pandemic.

This is because face-to-face meetings became almost impossible. As a result, a growing number of companies have started to utilize video conferencing. Consequently, video conferencing has become increasingly popular among companies.  

Virtual learning

Virtual learning programs have been around for quite a while. One of the key benefits of this mode of learning is that it comes with ample scope for gamification. Students can interact with gamified pieces of information. This is much more interesting than learning statically.

Virtual reality-based games help to understand new concepts without many hassles. Thus, it appears that gamification would remain a part of virtual learning for years to come.

Combating disinformation

In today’s world, disinformation has become a burning problem in society. There is no shortage of hoaxes regarding crucial matters on social media. Various organizations have come up with gamified applications to fight disinformation. These enable the user to have fun while spreading correct information on various matters.

Investment

A large section of society finds interest in investment as a mode of earning. However, not everyone understands all the concepts of investment, which deters many from investing.

Currently, there are easy-to-use gamified apps that help the users to invest seamlessly. Although investing in stock trading may be confusing for those new to it, such apps help make it fun.

What are the top gamification practices to implement?

With gamification growing increasingly popular, several strategies and techniques have emerged. Therefore, it is logical to implement gamification in your organization in the right manner. It would help your business reap the benefits of gamification to the fullest. Some of the best gamification practices are:

  • In a workplace environment, competitive gamification is a good approach to increasing productivity. However, you must not celebrate only the top performer. Make sure to reward all the participants in some way as long as they performed well too. This would help to boost engagement and reduce the chances of demotivation. 
  • Try not to overemphasize the rewards. Funding big rewards can be inefficient in terms of costs in the long run. Moreover, focusing too much on the incentives would make the employees fix the wrong goals. Rather than being more productive, they would focus on irrelevant activities just to win the rewards.
  • Be creative and careful while choosing the rewards. Not every type of reward works in every scenario. Try to keep the rewards connected to the business. It would be smart to reward the performers in ways that would help them gain professional recognition. Simple rewards, such as an invitation to a guest blog, a shout-out at a meeting, or a LinkedIn recommendation, can be highly effective.
  • Track the gamification program and the performance of the team to check how successful the gamification is. It also helps the participants gain insights into their own qualities and understand how they can improve themselves.

Conclusion

These are some of the top gamification trends and techniques that one might follow in 2021. Building and implementing the right gamification strategy is crucial. It would provide a a significant boost to the business. 

Analytics, Assessments, Authoring tool, e-Learning, eLearning Develpment Best Practices, Game-based learning, Game-based Learning Infographics, Gamification, Micro-learning, Online Learning, QuoDeck

5 Reasons Why You Should Implement E-Learning

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In our previous blog, we discussed how onboarding training can boost efficiency and productivity in your organization. As new learning methods have grown in popularity, more and more businesses are realizing the advantages of e-learning. Although online learning can be costly to implement, it pays off every time an employee completes their courses. Virtual learning is not only less expensive than traditional learning, it’s efficient, and reduces instruction time significantly.

Here are 5 reasons that will help you understand how switching from traditional learning to e-learning can benefit your organization.

  1. Improved retention and consistency in learning

In traditional learning, you usually have an educator who has his teaching tools, methods, and approaches. Employees may find it hard to adjust to new learning methods while simultaneously absorbing the information educators share.

One of the advantages of e-learning is that it can provide important information in ways employees can understand easily, which results in improved retention. Content is simplified using podcasts and interactive modules. Employees can access their learning when their energy and focus are at their peak for retention. This nature makes it easier to retain the new concepts and, of course, to implement them in their work.

  1.  Providing new learning methods

Not everyone learns in the same way. Some people prefer to retain knowledge through videos, while others prefer written notes, and still, others require realistic opportunities for practice before they truly grasp a new skill. One of the most significant advantages of e-learning for employee training and development is the availability of a wide range of content formats. These new learning methods are engaging for everyone when it includes videos, notes, infographics, games, and other types of content. 

An increased engagement is a sure sign that employees want to finish their course. Apart from this E-learning enables you to update the material whenever necessary. This means the online learning courses can be adapted along the way as it is relatively simple to make changes to online material, particularly textual changes, online courses are always up to date, and employees are not provided with information that is no longer relevant to them.

  1. Gamification and interactivity

Some new skills require more than video notes. Active employee participation is required in learning new skills. The ultimate interactivity and practice can be provided through a powerful learning management system (LMS) that supports gamification, quizzes, branching scenarios, and surveys. Interactive e-learning courses enable employees to practice new skills in a secure place, so they are set up for success in real life. Furthermore, by using a variety of assessments such as quizzes and case studies, you can engage learners as they progress through the training.

  1. Collaboration and community building

Learning can be solitary, but social exercise shouldn’t be so because employees learn much more by interacting with their colleagues than by reading a book. New learning methods lead to discussions and discussions lead to innovation.

Online learning benefits the community and leads to collaboration. Including activities such as forums for discussion and live tutorials can be immensely beneficial. Commitment to other employees encourages collaboration and creates a team culture that showcases its benefits beyond the educational environment.

  1. Immediate feedback and acknowledgment

Another advantage of e-learning in the workplace is that employees have access to immediate feedback. Immediate results from online assessments assist employees in determining how well they are doing and which sections of learning material they may need to review before moving on. Furthermore, gamification features in courses such as leaderboards, badges, and certificates give employees a sense of recognition and achievement, which motivates them to learn. Timely and automated feedback is beneficial not only to employees but also to their managers and the business. This is due to the fact that it eliminates the need for manual feedback and grading.

Conclusion

Learning is an ongoing process and as time changes we all have to adapt to the new virtual learning. Online learning programs apply to every industry, business, and employee worldwide. These learning methods are convenient, easy to access, easy on the budget, and measure results while keeping a digital record for everything. E-learning is cost-effective, improves employee performance, reduces staff turnover, and boosts productivity.

Corporate Learning and Development, Corporate Learning Best Practices, e-Learning, Gamification, Micro-learning, Press, QuoDeck

‘Karma points’ keep employees motivated

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Gamification encourages healthy competition, and the immediate incentives range from gift vouchers to virtual one-on-ones with the CEO for racking up a certain number of ‘karma points’

Mumbai: About four months ago, helping a colleague out or going above and beyond the call of duty only earned Sukrit Sarkar, 24, a pat on the back. Now, the associate product manager at HR platform Springworks earns points every time he does something to help a team member. Sarkar had the most points, 300, until another colleague overtook him on the leaderboard last week.

Appreciation is fuel in any organization, but while working from home, it’s often easy to miss thanking that one team member who goes the extra mile. Companies such as Proctor and Gamble and Goodera as well as startups like Springworks have turned to gamification to induct new employees, motivate existing ones, and run training modules remotely during the covid-19 pandemic. Gamification encourages healthy competition, and the immediate incentives range from gift vouchers to virtual one-on-ones with the CEO for racking up a certain number of ‘karma points’.

“When you work from home, other people on the team don’t know what you’re doing. And it’s nice when your teammates recognize your contribution,” says Sarkar. “In the physical office, we’d chat or congratulate one another. That was missing.”

Bengaluru-based Springworks built a gamified peer-to-peer recognition platform called Springengage in late April after its staff moved to working remotely. ‘Kudos’ (appreciation and gratitude for help) from a fellow employee earns the person 10 points, while a ‘shoutout’ (when someone goes beyond his or her role or does something that helps the company) brings in 100 points. The scores are displayed on a leaderboard, which creates a healthy competition.

“It has helped me keep motivated during these times. It has made us more curious about each other’s work. If someone gets a kudos or a shoutout, I want to know how the person solved the problem,” says Sarkar. Recently, he redeemed half his points for a ₹500 Amazon voucher to buy a book that was long on his wishlist.

Game-based activities are also helping companies induct new hires and interns, all of whom are rejoining work remotely now. For the first time in its history, Procter & Gamble India inducted 90 interns into a two-month stint virtually this year. To ensure learning and collaboration was engaging and interactive, a gamified module was created on its app. As the interns completed mandatory and optional training courses on the app, answered quizzes and challenges, they accumulated points. This was tallied on a leaderboard on the app with the top scorers getting gift hampers.

“We wanted to innovate and truly translate our on-ground ‘GetIn’ onboarding programme to a fully virtual experience. Gamifying the experience with deliberately planned touch-points increased the overall participation and engagement on the app. This also created a sense of community, drove engagement and motivated interns,” says PM Srinivas, head, HR, India sub-continent, Procter & Gamble.

At Goodera, gamification has worked to get its young staff to interact again, and ease work stress. Over the last few months, the tech company working in the space of CSR has rolled out a virtual volunteering facility. While employees met all their deadlines, moral seemed to be flagging during the lockdown. So, founder Abhishek Humbad introduced virtual volunteering for his team. But it really took off when employees could earn ‘karma points’ for individual and team effort, social impact of the voluntary work and more. The points, which reflect on a leaderboard on Goodera’s internal platform, earn employees gifts, ecommerce vouchers or a virtual one-on-one meeting with the CEO. “People notice what others are doing, and it also nudges them to do more,” says Humbad.

Webinars and informal Zoom meet-ups are losing novelty. “Gamified content gives a sense of micro achievement, which makes people feel good,” says Arijit Lahiri, co-founder, QuoDeck Technologies. The Mumbai-based game learning app creator has seen its turnover double since the start of the pandemic, he says, adding that clients are requesting casual games to fit into a storytelling format.

Rajib Chowdhury, founder, TGC Technologies, which helps companies create gamified activities, however, says companies should not get swept away by gamification and ignore other aspects of deeper employee engagement. “Companies have to be clear about what they want to achieve from the whole exercise. Besides uplifting morale, companies need to focus on creating purpose,” he says.

By Reshmi Menon, journalist at livemint.

This article was first published on livemint

Corporate Learning Best Practices, e-Learning, eLearning Develpment Best Practices, Game-based learning, L&D professionals, Mobile Learning, QuoDeck

How To Enhance The Impact Of Your Mobile Learning Strategy In 2019

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With the maturing of mobile learning, the focus shifts on how to maximize its potential. In this article, I showcase approaches that will help you enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy in 2019.

Mobile Learning Strategy: Enhance Its Impact In 2019

Mobile learning is the training that is available to learners on their mobile devices. It can be consumed on the go, and it gives them the flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace.

Access to learning assets is not limited to smartphones. Instead, it features “multi-device” support providing additional flexibility to the learners to move seamlessly across devices during their learning journey (between smartphones, tablets, or laptops and desktops).

Over the last 2-3 years, mobile learning has transitioned from its first avatar—the mobile-friendly format—to the mobile-first format. The initial format of mobile learning was an adaptive or a mobile-friendly format that supported all devices but wasn’t fully optimized for smartphones. But the more recent format of mobile learning is the completely responsive or mobile-first format that is fully optimized for usage on smartphones. Not only does it feature interactions that align better to the way we use smartphones but also the designs adapt fully to the viewable area of each device.

It also aligns well to the changing learner expectations and demographics. Today, mobile learning is the preferred mode of training for learners and this cuts across learner profiles (not just Millennials) and resonates well with the multi-generational workforce.

What Are The Key Benefits Of Adopting The Mobile Learning Strategy?

The mobile learning strategy offers several benefits to learners and L&D teams as it:

  1. Aligns to the way learners want to learn (on the go, anytime, and anywhere)
  2. Empowers learners by giving them control on the pace they want to learn
  3. Facilitates a “pull” of learning vs “push” and this resonates better with the learners
  4. Offers a higher engagement quotient
  5. Can be used across learning needs (formal, informal, or social learning)
  6. Can be used to support Instructor-Led Training
  7. Can address the entire spectrum of corporate training needs (ranging from induction and onboarding, soft skills training, product training, sales training to compliance)
  8. Features better completion rates
  9. Can be used for knowledge acquisition, its application, as well as meeting specific learning needs (through instant learning aids or job aids)
  10. Can be used to retain an ongoing connection with learners

What Is The Value That The Adoption Of Mobile Learning Strategy Offers?

The biggest strength of mobile learning is that it aligns very well with the way learners want to consume learning. For instance, you can craft your mobile learning strategy to include learner-centric formats that sync up with their lifestyle. These could include:

  1. Podcasts that they can listen to during their commute to the office
  2. Microlearning nuggets for learning that can be easily consumed during waiting periods (and avoid carving out specific time slots for training). You can also offer microlearning nuggets as refresher nuggets to keep the “forgetting curve” at bay
  3. Microlearning videos for quick time learning
  4. Interactive videos for the application of learning
  5. Just-In-Time learning aids or job aids to address specific challenges or provide tips, ready reckoners, or learning summaries
  6. Quizzes
  7. Practice exercises
  8. Personalized curated content
  9. Furthermore, you can add dollops of fun through gamified elements or make learning more immersive by using nuggets featuring Virtual Reality (VR)
  10. Mobile apps for learning

How Can You Enhance The Impact Of Your Mobile Learning Strategy Further In 2019?

You can enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy by providing:

  1. A judicious mix of learning and reinforcements to ensure that the “forgetting curve” does not set in
  2. Adequate room to practice, hone skills, and gain proficiency or mastery
  3. Detailed feedback and remediation or recommendations to further enhance the learning
  4. Nudges to review, challenges, and hooks to come back for more
  5. A channel for informal and social or collaborative learning
  6. An avenue to contribute User-Generated Content (UGC)

Here is a ready reckoner of the strategies that you can use to enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy.

1. You can use microlearning and video-based learning:

  • To create buzz or awareness prior to the formal training
  • For formal training
  • For Performance Support
  • For informal learning
  • For inclusive learning (provide room for User-Generated Content)
  • For social learning

2. Invest in some of the learning strategies that will deliver high-impact experiences:

  • Interactive video-based learning
  • AR/VR
  • Gamification
  • Scenario-based learning
  • Story-based learning
  • Guided exploration

3. Retain the connection with learners by pushing nuggets that:

  • Reinforce
  • Refresh prior knowledge
  • Provide room for practice and mastery
  • Encourage learning beyond the specified outcomes

As you have probably seen, if you want to enhance the impact of your mobile learning strategy, you need to adopt a multi-pronged approach (that cuts across learner profiles and across various types of training needs). I hope this article gives you the required insights on how you can use my pointers and step up your mobile learning strategy.

By Asha Pandey, Chief Learning Strategist at EI Design