Gamification is one way to do that.
Gamification, in general, has made a lot of waves lately in the enterprise world.
The entire gamification marketis expected to grow 200 percentto a total of $11 billion by 2020.
The entire experience of a game or app can be designed to specialize in various forms of research.
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They allow peoplespecifically mobile usersto entertain themselves while on the go.
Take Candy Crush, for example, an incredibly popular Match-3 bang out puzzle game.
This makes it both more accessible and more likely that people will jump in and play.
Games, in general, have always been popular, especially among younger demographics.
More importantly, many of these titles helped to introduce the world to the freemium model.
Data collection is one aspect of monetization that most people realize exists but dont fully understand how it works.
In the background, it both collects and analyzes incoming user data that can be leveraged several ways.
But gamification is slightly different than mobile games altogether.
It involves motivating participants to engage more with the help of game-related mechanics and infrastructure.
The important point is that it doesnt necessarily involve a game.
For example, a survey app might allow users to earn points for participating in various polls.
These points contribute to a leveling system where they level up a character or profile.
For each level gained, they earn exclusive rewards.
Perpetual engagement over an extended period is not easy to achieve, but gamification can help change that.
Like mobile games, gamified applications and systems must be secure enough to keep the data protected.
Security breaches and high-profile hacksare incredibly common these days.
Therefore, its important that all data is handled, stored and processed in a secure, protected way.
Advanced forms of encryptioncan help by essentially locking digital information behind a security or encryption key.
Without the key, the data cannot be read even if compromised or stolen.
This is certainly possible with all forms of gamification-related traffic, including mobile and desktop based.
More data-oriented companies and providers realize this too.
Where is it stored and is that location safe?
Who has access, and are there people viewing the information who shouldnt?
What control and protection measures are in place to further protect the data stores?
Can they be deleted?
Can access be revoked from certain parties?
Creating these kinds of security-focused applications and experiences requireshighly talented and trained software developers.
Are there examples of its use, and what benefits has it offered?
Gamification, both in general and for data collection specifically, is used heavily in todays landscape.
The game is free, but to play, users must submit pertinent information through an online profile.
Something more mobile-focused, however, would be Starbucks customer loyalty app calledMy Starbucks Rewards.
Gamification mechanics are used to transform a more traditional rewards program into something truly engaging.
Immediately upon registering, customers earn stars for every purchase.
After accruing enough they can be exchanged for real rewards, such as free food or drinks.
Customers can attain varying levels of loyalty, with each level offering greater rewards and opportunities.
This is not unlike leveling up in a modern RPG or online game.
It adds another layer of fun on top of the already multi-layered rewards point system.
Yet another, more popular, exampleis Pokemon Go.
The game uses a mix of geospatial data andaugmented realityto immerse participants in the digital world.
Wherever they travel in the real world, they also travel in the game world.
Every players in-game avatar also levels up and can customize, alongside their creature counterparts.
Their findings indicate that companies can create cost-effective gamified solutions to gather information from a large audience of volunteers.
The proof is there and the strategy is actively used, by many, in todays market.
Therein lies the true beauty of gamification, particularly as it applies to data collection.
The basic idea remains the sameyou incentivize and make operations more engagingbut the method for achieving this may differ.
Naturally, this influences how and what gamification does for varying parties.
In other words, gamification will mean different things to everyonecustomers, employees and organizations alike.
That said, the general benefits remain the same.
Why invest in gamification at all?
In most cases, the opposite is true.
Gamification of modern processes and operations can significantly boost engagement and productivity in many ways.
Users respond well to incentivization for their work and participation.
Usually, they have more fun too.
Before closing out, consider this.
A whopping70 percent of business transformation efforts faildue to a lack of engagement from employees.
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