Oftentimes, brands invest in money, time, and technology, to acquire users but end up losing them due to a poor onboarding experience.

Statista's study states as many as 83% of those who download a mobile app will uninstall it within 24 hours.

Though there are many other important stages in the customer journey, the onboarding process is crucial because it has the potential to deliver optimal value and make a lasting impression on the user.

Without an intuitive and seamless onboarding, users will most likely abandon your product or service in no time. That's why it's essential to have a solid onboarding process in place.

This article will discuss user onboarding and the steps to gamify it to level up the user experience.

What is User Onboarding?

User onboarding is the process of introducing new users to your app and helping them get started. It's an integral part of the user experience and can make or break a user's relationship with your app.

By effectively implementing user onboarding, you can ensure that your app is quickly and easily accessible to new users. This can lead to increased engagement and app usage.

There are a few key methods you can use to create an effective onboarding experience that educates users on the essential features of your app. This can be achieved by providing screen tips and interactive tutorials that teach users the app's features and functionalities.

Screen tips are an effective method to boost user and feature adoption. Users can quickly understand your app's value proposition.

Tutorials briefly overview your application and how it may help users. It is an effective technique for increasing usability from the very first moments of user engagement.

Users can only understand the app's value if they know how to use it. Finally, keep users engaged by providing periodic updates and suggestions.

Also Read: How to Boost User Onboarding for Travel Apps

What is a Gamified User Onboarding?

Let’s understand what gamification is.

Gamification is the process of adding game-like elements to non-game activities to increase engagement and motivation.

A user onboarding flow that has gamification elements in the process is known as gamified user onboarding. It will give users challenges and reward them for reaching specific objectives.

Gamification is a powerful tool for onboarding users, ensuring they stick around and enjoy your app. By making the process fun and exciting, you can encourage users to take the time to learn about your app and its features. This is key to unlocking user retention and driving long-term engagement.

5 Creative Ways to Gamify App User Onboarding to Level Up User Experience

1. Personalized Avatars

When it comes to onboarding new users, personalization can go a long way. And one way to encourage users to share personal information about themselves is by creating avatars.

Avatars can help make the onboarding experience more personalized and relevant, and they can also be more effective in helping users feel connected to the platform and community. Users with avatars are more likely to engage in social activities on a website or platform.

So if you're looking for ways to improve your onboarding experience, consider creating avatars for your users. It could make all the difference in getting them engaged and invested in your platform from the start.

For Example, Classcraft is a classic example of personalized avatars. It teaches the concept of teamwork and respecting each other. Students can create characters with powers and play through different scenarios, learning the importance of following rules and handling difficult situations. Students can earn points for following the classroom rules.

Source: Classcraft

2. Progress bars.

Progress bars are a great way to keep app users focused and interested during account setup. By displaying the user's progress from start to finish, they can stay focused on the task and avoid potential distractions.

Use a progress bar to show users’ stages during app onboarding and give them feedback on how far they are along the process. This helps them stay motivated to complete the process and start using the app.

As users progress through the app onboarding process, they'll see a progress bar that updates as they complete different tasks. Along the way, they'll receive helpful feedback that helps them stay on track. Once they finish the process, they'll be able to start using the app and its features.

For example, using a progress bar, LinkedIn tracks a user's advancement during the account setup process. The progress bar reminds the user of key actions they need to take. It profoundly affects user psychology because people don't like leaving tasks unfinished.

Linkedin Progress Bar Screen — Source: Linkedin

3. Badges and Stickers

Apps that reward users are addictive because they offer a sense of achievement. Unsurprisingly, numerous apps use rewards to engage users and motivate them to take further action.

You could offer in-app rewards such as badges or stickers to make the app onboarding process more attractive and less frustrating. These virtual rewards are not tangible, and most of the time, they don’t carry any real-life value, but people are inherently attracted to obtaining more rewards.

For Example, Duolingo mastered gamification methods to keep its users engaged and focused as they learn a new language and practice their speaking skills for example, to overcome the millennial pause. It uses badges to reward its users when they sign up or use a feature for the first time. This motivates the app users to further action and get even more recognition.

Duolingo's Badges and Stickers Screen — Source: Duolingo

4. Redeemable Rewards

Another way to level up user experience is by offering them rewards for doing things within the app, such as signing up or completing tasks for the first time. These rewards can be in the form of points or stars, which can be redeemed for rewards of greater value the more a user interacts with the app. This strategy encourages users to stay engaged and continue using the app to get more rewards.

For Example, Goibibo, an online travel booking brand, offers redeemable rewards during app onboarding. It offers 100 GoCash, a virtual travel booking currency, to new users for creating an account. And it also offers coupon code" WELCOME" on the first booking.

Goibibio User Onboarding Screen — Source: Goibibo

5. Use Quizzes to Create Interactivity

Using interactive onboarding methods, you can engage new users and keep them glued to the app or website. This will give them a sense of ownership of their actions within the app and make the entire process more fun.

Use a quiz to explain the app’s features, benefits, and purpose, and provide clear instructions on how to use the app. This makes the onboarding process interactive, fun, and informative for new users.

For Example, Lookout, a mobile security app, uses an interactive quiz to help new users get to grips with the app. By gamifying the onboarding process, lookout ensures that new users get the most out of the app. This helps to create a sense of achievement and encourages users to stick with the app.

Conclusion

The key to effective onboarding is to educate customers on how to use your app while informing them of its benefits. The onboarding process for your app can be more engaging by including gamification components compared to the standard onboarding.

Making gamification a key component of your app’s strategy is the best way to utilize it. It gives users a more tailored experience and strengthens their relationship with your app. Apply gamification when necessary, and always consider your objectives before using game aspects.

The Upshot.ai Advantage

Upshot.ai is an omnichannel, user engagement, and gamification platform that helps digital product owners and marketers improve product adoption and conversions.

With Upshot.ai, eCommerce, finance, edtech, and healthcare firms can enhance their digital experiences with pre-built gamification features. It can provide personalized insights, actionable recommendations, and contextual nudges designed to deepen its relationship with its users.

Book a demo of the most comprehensive user engagement and gamification platform to achieve your digital product goals. Join our communities for more insights, guides, and best practices that keep you updated with proven strategies and tips to supercharge your campaigns.

How to Gamify User Onboarding to Level Up User Experience

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