What you need to know about gamification technology

When used effectively, gamification technology has the potential to supercharge any type of corporate training or learning program. You can use it to boost employee morale, engagement, and retention, along with transforming mundane tasks into more interactive and engaging activities.

In fact, the gamification market has become so popular that it’s projected to hover around $96.8 billion by 2030.

So, how can your company implement gamification tools for training purposes? Read on to learn more about gamified learning platforms and how to choose the right one for your business.

What is gamification technology?

As the name suggests, gamification involves using game elements in a typically non-game context, such as employee training. The aim is to encourage and incentivize specific behaviors or actions by providing learners with a more immersive and enjoyable experience.

Gamification taps into our innate desires for competition, recognition, and achievement.

In the context of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and eLearning, gamification technology is often used to make learning more engaging and fun, leading to increased user participation, knowledge retention, and overall satisfaction. Some common gamification elements include:

• Points: Learners can earn points by completing tasks, quizzes, or activities, which can be used to measure their progress and success.
• Badges: Visual representations of achievements, badges serve as recognition for learners who have mastered specific skills or completed certain challenges.
• Leaderboards: Ranking users based on their performance or points earned, leaderboards create a sense of competition and encourage users to master new skills.
• Levels: As learners progress through the content, they can advance through different levels, unlocking new challenges and demonstrating their growth.
• Challenges and quests: Structuring learning activities as challenges or quests makes them more engaging and encourages users to push themselves to complete them.
• Social interaction: Integrating social features like discussion forums, collaboration tools, and sharing achievements with peers promotes a sense of community and encourages learners to support and learn from each other.

Gamification technology can be applied to various sectors, such as education, marketing, employee training, and customer loyalty programs, among others. When implemented effectively, gamification can lead to increased engagement, motivation, and desired outcomes for users participating in the activity.

How to use gamification across your organization

Once you understand why gamification works, you can apply the principles to nearly any aspect of employee engagement and training. Here are just a few of the many ways you can put gamification to work within your context:

Create customized training games

Training is part of the employee experience—there’s no getting around it. But what if you could turn those required training sessions into an experiential learning game? At Unboxed Training & Technology, we create custom versions of popular games like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! by applying relevant training topics, so your employees can learn while having fun.

Reward employees for completing tasks

By harnessing the psychological power of earning achievements (much like popular video game platforms), you can motivate employees to strengthen their skills and knowledge. Create a badge system, provide leaderboard rankings, or simply offer rewards like gift cards for employees who reach certain goals. Gamified tasks are an effective way to provide positive reinforcement and increase overall employee engagement.

Enhance teamwork with collaborative challenges

An excellent way to use gamification is in the context of teamwork development. For example, if you’re looking to improve synergy across certain departments, utilize customizable gamification eLearning tools to build collaborative challenges. These interactive and fun experiences help teams learn how to work together and gain valuable problem-solving skills along the way.

How to choose the right gamified learning platform

One of the most effective ways to implement gamification tools for training within your organization is with a gamified learning platform (AKA: learning management system). As a learning and development leader, selecting the right LMS is an important decision that can impact the success of your training program.

In this section, we're sharing insights from our LMS buyer’s guide to help you find an LMS that meets your organizational needs.

Assemble Your Stakeholders

Begin by gathering a team of diverse stakeholders representing different departments and roles within your organization—executives, department leaders, and employees from across the business. By involving a broad range of perspectives, you'll gain valuable insights and ensure the chosen LMS meets the needs of all parties.

Get to Know Your Users

Spend time understanding the unique needs and preferences of your end-users. Conduct online surveys, conduct interviews, or run focus groups to gather feedback on what different employees expect from an LMS. Consider factors like ease of use, accessibility, and preferred learning formats. This information will help guide your decision-making process and ensure a high level of user satisfaction.

Write User Stories

User stories are brief, informal descriptions of a specific feature or functionality from the perspective of the user. Work with your stakeholders to create user stories that outline their needs and expectations. These stories will serve as a reference point when evaluating potential LMS solutions, ensuring you select one that addresses your organization's most pressing requirements.

Separate Must-Haves from Nice-to-Haves

With your user stories in hand, create a list of essential features that your LMS must possess to meet your organization's needs. Additionally, gather a list of nice-to-have features that would be beneficial but are not critical. This distinction will help you prioritize your requirements and make informed decisions when comparing different LMS platforms.

Choose Your LMS Partner

With a clear understanding of your organization's needs and desired features, it's time to evaluate potential LMS providers. Now, there are two kinds of LMS providers: vendors and partners. Vendors focus on selling you a product, while partners work with you to understand your business needs, basing their success on your success.

At Unboxed Training & Technology, we’re your partners.

Level up your corporate training with gamification

As we’ve discussed throughout this blog, gamification tools for training can be an incredible asset to any organization. It keeps employees engaged, motivated, and stimulated while they learn, which leads to a better understanding of the content and faster adoption of new skills.

When it comes to integrating gamification into your corporate training, we can help in two ways:

1. Develop gamified content

Games engage people with social and competitive elements that heighten attention, sustain focus, and drive action. At Unboxed, our gamification content development services involve creating training programs that use game mechanics and elements to engage learners. With a 64% increase in knowledge retention from beginning to end, games make training fun and effective at the same time.

Reach out to learn how we can help develop custom eLearning games for your organization.

2. Deliver gamified content

If you don’t already have an LMS to deliver training, we’ve designed the best gamification tool.

As a customizable employee gamification platform built on proven training techniques, Spoke® helps organizations level up their training with games. Choosing the right LMS will not only meet your organization's immediate needs but support its long-term growth and success in fostering a culture of continuous learning.

Request a demo of Spoke® to learn how you can start using gamification technology at your company.