Habitica Design Challenge Finalist for Octalysis - Ivan Milev

Gamification Design ChallengeImproving Design for Habitica

Copyright © 2017 Ivan Milev Ltd. All rights reserved

3 March 2017Ivan Milev Ltd.

Agenda

About Habitica

Design sample slides

Strategy Dashboard

Ideation

Core Activity Loop

About Habitica

Habitica is an online task management web application that takes theform of a role-playing game. Its main goals is to help players keep track ofand remain motivated to achieve their goals and ultimately change theirhabits for the better.

The game is laid out in the form of an RPG, in which the player grows,collects items, resources and becomes more powerful when maintainingreal-life goals.

The challenge

Habitica has seen relative success with decent brand awareness.

Long-tern engagement is still a problem. Many users leave once thefreshness wears off.

It also has a difficult time breaking into the mainstream as aproductivity app.

Our goal:

Study the app and offer improvements.

Agenda

About Habitica


Strategy Dashboard

Ideation

Core Activity Loop

Business Metrics

The key business metrics* Habitica wants to improve on in order of importanceare :

1. Daily Active Users

2. Weekly returning user after 6 months

3. Weekly tasks completed per active user

4. Onboarding Completion

5. Social Activities and Outreach within App

* Note: In another case key business metrics will be discussed with the client. For the purpose of the competition I will take the ones for the presentation (also in terms of importance)

Traffic statistics for habitica.com

* Note: The information is based on statistics from www.semrush.com and www.alexa.com. They may not be completely accurate but will make an assumption that they are correct.

Demographic statistics for habitica.com

* Note: The information is based on traffic statistics from www.alexa.com. They may not be completely accurate but will make an assumption that they are correct. More research is needed to make a more accurate conclusions.

Based on the statistics we can assume that:

More female than male are using habitica.

Most users have some degree which means that children (under 18) are not a targetaudience.

Out target audience is adults between 25-45 years (more female than male) that have anumber of tasks to complete – studying, working, having children

Working parents (particularly working mothers) represent a special target croup so wewill address them in out gamification design.

Core drives embedded in Habitica

Core drives embedded in Habitica

The current Habitica app:

Relies mostly CD2, CD4 to stimulate users to complete tasks

Uses also CD5 and CD8

Uses with limited functionalities CD1, CD3, CD6 and CD7

Some anti-core drives used in the current Habitica app:

Change my behavior for the better (CD1) - Spend time to understand what to do in thegame (CD8)

Change my behavior for the better CD1 - Make in-app purchases (CD8)

Progress in the game (CD2), collects pets (CD4) - Make in-app purchases (CD8)

Spend time with my guild, doing group quests, daily log-ins (CD5) – Doing real life work(CD2), spending time with real friends (CD5)

Desired actions, feedback mechanisms and rewards/incentives in current app

Desired Actions Feedback Mechanics Incentives & Rewards

Discovery

Go to the website Wellcome, Homepage Access to website

Register Email, thank you screen Access to the portal

Onboarding

Complete onboarding Gold, solver, XP Gold, silver, XP

Customize avatar Proceed to next step N/A

Create to-dos Proceed to next step N/A

Create Daily tasks Proceed to next step N/A

Create Habits Proceed to next step N/A

Create rewards Proceed to next step N/A

Buy gems Notifications, thank you screen Gems



Scaffolding

Check in every day Notification screen, congratulaions

screen

Gold, silver, random rewards, XP

Customize avatar Channging avatar N/A

Add new to-dos Added to list N/A

Add new Daily tasks Added to list N/A

Add new Habits Added to list N/A

Add new rewards Added to list N/A

Complete to-dos Notifications Gold, silver, random rewards, XP, badge

Complete Daily tasks Notifications Gold, silver, random rewards, XP, badge

Complete Habits Notifications Gold, silver, random rewards, XP, badge

Collect rewards Notifications Items in your inventory, afford real life

reward

Buy gear Notifications Items in your inventory

Choose a character class Channging avatar Avatar

Grow character - allocate points Progress bar, levels Status. Access (need to be certain lvl to

choose a char)

Join party with anotther person Additional avatars on screen, channging

interface

Access go group quests

Complete quests Notifications Gold, silver, random rewards, XP, badge

Join a guild Notifications, access to guild Access quests,



Scaffolding

Fill out a survey, help test new

functionalities

Thank you messages Gems, exclusive equipment, and

prestigious titles

Contribute to Habitica Thank you messages, notifications Hall of contributors, gems, exclusive

equipment, prestigious titles.

Participate in challenges Notifications Gems

Participate in seasonal events Notifications Gold, silver, random rewards, XP, badge

Buy gems - buy gems, potions, food,

avatars, backgrounds

Notifications, thank you screen Gems

Create a shared task list Notifications N/A

Assign tasks to group members Notifications N/A

Claim a task that you are working on Notifications N/A

Mark tasks that require special approval Notifications N/A

Chat privately with your group Notifications N/A

Create a group Notifications Access to group, Power - group

moderator

Fight bosses Progress bar Gold, silver, random rewards, XP, badge



Endgame

Find all pets Notifications Badge

Find all mounts Notifications Badge

Find all pets and mounts x2 Notifications Badge

Upgrade max weapona and aromor Notifications Badge

Begin a new adventure .. Start again Notifications Badge

Commentary on actions, feedback mechanisms and rewards/incentives in current app

* Note: The information is based on traffic statistics from from www.semrush.com

Discovery

Statistics show more than 80% bounce rate, less than 2 pages viewed per visitors andaround 3 minutes spend per visitor on site.

Website seems well build but could be improved by adding more comprehensivepresentation of the game on homepage.

The registration process is fluent and easy.

Suggestions

An interesting video combining with some beautiful graphics could also help

Some more information on building habits could be added to the website and how Habiticauses gamification to engage users and help them.

In terms of marketing, considering the budget is limited (almostnot existing for an open source project) spending some smallbudget an FB advertisement

Visual redesign will be beneficial to reach more mainstreamusers.


Onboarding

The onboarding process is poorly designed, not very comprehensive and evenconfusing

At first this screen looks too complicated. All the options of the panel are open toexplore which is too overwhelming for the user.

The game’s narrative is missing during onboarding, and is hard to understand alsoduring the other phases of the game

Too much emphasis is given on loss during onboarding. Using CD8 during onboardingnot a good idea (purchasing gems, the loosing health explanation on screens duringonboarding)

Some bugs also show at this point which is demotivating.

Suggestions

Guide the user without too many complicated options. Dim the background and onlyshow things one step at a time with clear guidelines and user friendly options.

Really missing the general meaning: add some interesting storyline

Remove the emperies on CD8 and concentrate on CD2

Add more feedback mechanisms – gaining gold silver XP and show why. Add glowingchoices


Scaffolding

Most desired actions of the game are concentrated in this phase which makes is full ofdifferent actions a user could do.

Feedback mechanisms are relatively well done and appropriate even though they couldbe improved. For example: How lifting levels benefit you is unclear, when you have anegg you don’t have a reminder to hatch it and so on

Feedback mechanisms and rewards are attached to most of the desired actions whichmakes the Octalysis Strategy Dashboard complete in most cases

After onboarding however the screen is too complicated with too many options.Almost all content sections are unlocked even though the user still cannot use them -pets, mounts, armors, weapons, rewards, quests, guilds, party…

How to continue your progress after onboarding is unclear and takes time to explore.

Users can easily cheat lifting levels (the game relies entirely on users not cheeting)

Congratulations screens have too much information which could confuse users anddiminish the achievement effect

Even though hatching eggs, collecting pets and mounts is a significant part of the gamethey do not have any effect on the game itself and only serve as Collection Sets and aspart of your avatar


Scaffolding

Suggestions

Make some sections unlockable and don’t show them from start.

Convey more the feeling of achievement adding more congratulations screens.

Connect lifting levels with quests, unlockable sections, content, quests and so on.

Congratulations screens should be more clear and with less information

Add some benefit to pets and mounts, probably link them to quests

Create a series of linked events, missions, quests and link them to a more generalstoryline that is connected to the general goal – changing my habits


Endgame

As it seems from the analysis Habitica is not designed for an endgame apartfrom a couple of badges and the option to start again which has no real valuein my opinion

Suggestions

Encourage mentorship - Higher levels players could be able to take a pupil toteach/guide.

Add random item drops of special very powerful items from monsters thatare rare to encourage redoing of bosses.

Add seasonal events based on character level. Higher levels have an access tomonsters that have better drops.

Content generation and expert advice – advanced players could gain accessto a knowledge section where they could write quides and gain additionalhonors

Agenda

About Habitica


Strategy Dashboard

Ideation

Core Activity Loop

Improved Habitica

Ideation – suggestions for new functionalities (1)

Create a storyline, a path to follow and tasks on the way to achieve goals and to grow. Create a narrative.

Create friend lists separate for party who will can see your progress and achievemets.

Sent tasks to other person/s option - Create tasks/missions/quest for friends and send them to them –

children, husband for example. Could add another type of points. Option to:

- Send tasks that require the other person to respond as to ne to receive points

- Tasks that require confirmation from the sender so that the user can receive points

- Option to send directly points for some action

For example:

(1) Create a challenge foe a group of friends to go to the cinema – whoever comes – the other will say he

has done it and he will receive points.

(2) Create a random drop – when creating a daily for your child you can add a random drip that could

happen – I buy you a new phone with 0,01% change to happen when you complete this daily

Create a map - the world of Habitika that to be explored to support the storyline.

Create predefined challenges and duels for the entire guild

Add guild levels

Create duels between guilds, players. Loosing a duel will lead to health loss

Ideation – suggestions for new functionalities (2)

Missions depending on your user journey – what do u want to achieve – where to grow – improve. Create

a predefined missions that users can choose from and that will improve habbits for them. For example:

- Quit smoking (based on some techniques to quit smoking)

- Loose weight

More creativity when growing pets. Add skills to develop develop in pets. Add a pet benefit and pet

bonuses that will benefit the player.

Put general statistics and comparison. Leaderboard - Individual, Guild

Different classes of items - Beating monsters can drop special items – with a % chance. You can buy gear

but the most powerful gear only drops from monsters. Random elite items.

How to build good habits – tutorials, education, sharing content from selected others that achieved high

levels

Higher levels players should be able to take a pupil to teach/guide

Unlockable content

Benefits from pets and mounts

Interesting storyline

Glowing choices

Limit some actions to once a day:

- being able to make a special character punch/hit once a day during duels/quests that deals special high

damage

- Special rewards for daily logins

Agenda

About Habitica


Strategy Dashboard

Ideation

Core Activity Loop

Core Activity Loop

Complete tasks

Develop character, pets,

mounts

Battle monsters, players guilds

Gain gems: through gameplay or with real money

Gain XP, Gold, Points, Random rewards, Gems

Complete quests

Help others, mentorship and

guidance

Agenda

About Habitica


Strategy Dashboard

Ideation

Core Activity Loop

Design suggestions – redesign of the main panel

World of Habitica

Quests

Guild

Party

Thank you for your attention!

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/ivan-milev/27/341/908

Ivan [email protected]



Habitica Design Challenge Finalist for Octalysis - Ivan Milev

Design

Transcript of Habitica Design Challenge Finalist for Octalysis - Ivan Milev