Game UX Design: What Can User Experience Learn From Gaming?

In a moment of true honesty, most people will admit to having played a video game in their lifetime. Whether it’s on their gaming system, on their Mobile phone app, or even in the antiquated arcade of yesteryear. The reason you continued to play? The user experience, the satisfaction of achievement.

So, for many companies it has become increasingly important that they have a dynamic and lasting user experience, as customer expectations have increased. So what is the best industry to emulate when meeting those demands? Gaming.

As John Reynolds’ article tells us, games such as Tomb Raider and Super Mario have attracted millions of gaming fans all around the globe and converted them into extraordinary fans and this is why leading brands are switching to the gaming industry for a guide on User Experience best practices.

As an example of successful Gamification, our own past client experience tells us that using gamification, done the right way, has increased companies consumer appeal and shows no sign of slowing down.

Here’s what Michael Montecuollo, Director of User Experience & Design at DOOR3 has to say:

“When it comes to engaging users in meaningful ways and creating a stickiness factor to customer experiences, the gaming industry continues to be a source for useful ideas and creative solutions.

There’s a lot that organizations can learn and leverage from simple power of the competitive spirit. Look no further than LinkedIn’s progress bar, FourSquares badges or Amazon’s virtual coins for creative execution of game theory in the business world.

Creating delightful experiences out of otherwise mundane tasks is a core tenant of user experience, and gamification provides an excellent set of tools to do just that.”

Sites like LinkedIn, Foursquare and Amazon are just three great examples of sites that are leveraging Gamification in really powerful ways.”

While exploring the exciting realm of game UX design, it’s essential to remember the importance of user experience. For a closer look at how these principles apply in real-world scenarios, consider our UX audit services.