Gamification for Product Excellence: Chapter 2 Sample
Note: This is a sample, and the book is undergoing final edits to the following is subject to change.
Note: This is a sample, and the book is undergoing final edits to the following is subject to change.
How this book fits into your product career
Layering in the gamification best practices on top of our core competencies, high level of emotional intelligence, and elite product manager skills will make you a better product manager. Harnessing the transformative power of gamification is not an isolated endeavor but a holistic strategy that requires the synergy of various competencies, perspectives, and skills. This approach is encapsulated in the following arguments:
• Argument 1: You can incorporate your gamification strategy into your core competencies. When doing market research, you will now have more insight and ask users how they feel about specific game mechanics such as levels or leaderboards. As you build your solution, you have a toolbox of gamification features you can insert into your prototype or proof of concept. When you are workshopping, you can use success stories around gamification to stimulate new ideas and innovation.
• Argument 2: As a product manager with emotional intelligence, you understand the importance of researching with empathy to truly understand the user and their needs, whether they like to play games or not. Human-centered design is to be able to use the game mechanics and solutions to solve the problem for your user. Relationship management with your teams allows you to bring your gamification vision to life by motivating and leading your team. And it also allows you to sell the vision to your stakeholders to get the clearance and funding to build a successful product or feature with game mechanics.
• Argument 3: Understating the “elite eight” skills of product managers will give you insight into all the areas you need to be connected to make your product successful. Each of the “elite eight” is a team you should be working with, and if you are in a smaller company, knowing what should be done in these areas will be critical to your success. Each of these areas plays a crucial role in Gamification, some more than others, but they are all essential for success. You want to pay attention to all of them because you don’t want to create a fantastic product that users love, only to have it shut down due to legal implications or, much worse, get sued.
Gamification increases user engagement
So now that we have the expectations of the product manager out of the way, let’s get into why gamification, when utilized correctly in a situation where it is valuable, can be a game changer (pun intended).
If you are in charge of developing and launching a product and feature, and you build the most unique, incredible, fantastic product or feature ever, and no one uses it, you didn’t succeed at your job. When we develop products and features, we want people to use them. Gamification can help you with that.
User engagement refers to the level of involvement and interaction with a product or service. It measures how often and how deeply users engage with the product and can include metrics such as time spent using the product, frequency of use, number of actions taken, and social sharing.
For product managers, user engagement is a critical factor in the success of their products. High levels of engagement indicate that users find value in the product and are likely to continue using it, which can lead to increased revenue and user retention. Additionally, engaged users can become brand advocates, sharing their positive experiences with others and driving new user acquisition. Product managers must understand user behavior and preferences to design engaging products that meet their needs. They must also constantly monitor user engagement metrics and use this data to make informed decisions about product development, marketing, and customer support. Overall, user engagement is a crucial metric for measuring the success of a product and is essential for building a loyal user base.
Here are the reasons why people use digital products and how they succeed:
Needs:
• Solves a real problem or meets a genuine need
• Offers a unique value proposition or competitive advantage
• Has a clear target audience and addresses their specific pain points
UX:
• Is user-friendly and easy to understand/use
• Provides an intuitive and seamless UX
• Offers reliable and consistent performance
• Has a high-quality and visually-appealing design
Reputation:
• Generates positive word-of-mouth and customer referrals
• Has a strong brand identity and reputation
Evolving:
• Is scalable and adaptable to changing needs
• Continues to innovate and evolve based on user feedback and market trends
Maintains a competitive edge through ongoing research and development
Thank you for taking the time to read the sample. If you would like to preorder the book, use code “25gamifi” on Amazon for 25% off: https://www.amazon.com/Gamification-Product-Excellence-engagement-innovation/dp/1837638381.