How using building blocks makes your app stronger and more resilient than ever

In the age of ‘there is an app for that’, people are used to having their unique needs met. Given that, app personalization is on top of the agenda. Today, the best design is expected to be customized, responsive, and flexible – and these needs have given rise to ‘building blocks’ as a powerful method of app development. With this in mind, StriveCloud’s app gamification blocks allow you to insert game dynamics into your app to help drive in-app user motivation & growth!

In this article, we’ll discuss how app building blocks work, why they’re effective, and how the gamification blocks from StriveCloud can transform mobile apps for the better.

• How app building blocks make your app stronger
• Introducing StriveCloud’s app gamification blocks
• HumanForest – an example of how to do gamification right!
• TLDR

How app building blocks make your app stronger

It is said that great design is just the iteration of good design. In other words, the most successful design is built on an iterative, customer-centric approach. Often, this means doing things bit by bit and running regular tests on users to see if a particular feature turns users off or makes them tick. Building blocks are at the heart of this philosophy, where developers can take flexible pre-made blocks and easily integrate, customize, and tweak new features on their app.

In essence, building blocks lend your app nimble flexibility that improves your interactions with two key stakeholders:

#1 Keeping up with users wants & needs

At times, customers can be a mystery. Creators and developers will surely relate to the story of putting lots of hard work into something that seems guaranteed to succeed but ends up failing. With building blocks, however, you can efficiently and cheaply integrate features that suit your customer feedback and avoid that pitfall. For example, Duolingo – the world’s top educational app – is famous for its iterative and user-centric design. When Duolingo introduces a new gamification element, they do it incrementally.

This process ensures that each feature works with real users. Think about new features like a novice baseball player – you wouldn’t expect them to bat without having done so before. Building blocks mean that you can easily integrate new features into your platform, as well as easily remove them should your testing yield negative results.

#2 Keeping up with the competition

Of course, apps need to keep an eye on the competition so they can respond efficiently to any threats or challenges. Think of Skype, for example. Only recently in February 2020, Skype was the world’s top video calling app with a market share of 32.5%. However, in 2021 they lost a huge part of the market to Zoom & were replaced by the new leader. The reason? Zoom jumped to the number one spot because of an iterative building block design process that allowed them to solve the problems that plagued Skype’s platform.

So while building blocks can help challengers take on market incumbents, they can also help those incumbents respond to new competitors. But to do that, app developers need the flexibility and app personalization that building blocks offer.

Introducing StriveCloud’s app gamification blocks

If you want to create a genuine relationship with your userbase, gamification is a great way to go. In short, gamifying an app is the application of game-like elements into the user experience to motivate and change people’s behavior. Because gamification is focused on leveraging user behavior, it aligns perfectly with the user-centric strategy of building blocks.

Just getting started with gamification? Catch up to speed on our What is Gamification page!

The app gamification blocks allows product managers to insert, remove, and adjust new features to best suit their users’ needs. It doesn’t require code and can be customized to fit your user experience entirely.

StriveCloud’s gamification building blocks allow you to spice up your user experience in a range of ways:

1. Make it competitive.
   Foster a sense of competition, collaboration, or challenge with gamification features like leaderboards, custom ranking points, and challenges. In this way, you bring a sense of unpredictability that keeps the user engaged!
2. Make progress visible.
   Leverage achievements, progress bars, and leveling systems to keep users engaged.
3. Reward participation.
   Retain more users with a carefully thought-out rewards system. Insert points, badges, and in-app currencies to give users a sense of accomplishment & positive reinforcement!
4. Make winning easy to understand.
   Empower your users by making their experience clear with contextual notifications and a custom mailing system.
5. Make the experience social.
   Drive community engagement & viral growth with gamification features like user profiles, avatars, and referrals. With these motivational triggers, you fulfill the incredibly powerful need for social relatedness.

How to design for behavioral change? Get yourself a value-packed gamification workshop & go home with a roadmap tailored to your app goals!

HumanForest – an example of how to do gamification right!

HumanForest is a London-based shared mobility company with the aim of making transportation emission-free! The app successfully promotes ecological behavior using the building blocks from StriveCloud!

We helped the HumanForest team develop a gamification strategy based on their goals. By leveraging gamification building blocks they not only spice up the user experience but also better articulate their brand mission.

Find out more about the specific gamification features they used below:

An in-game currency that incentivizes green transportation

Using building blocks allows HumanForest to introduce elements one by one, and the in-game currency was one of the first that HumanForest decided to integrate. HumanForest’s TreeCoins are completely unique in that they represent how many trees worth of CO2 you have saved by riding an e-bike! This visualization makes the currency feel much more tangible – and in turn a more valuable achievement.

Take a leaf out of HumanForest’s book & gain speed with the gamification building blocks from StriveCloud. Gamify your app in no time – custom to your goals!

Leaderboards that rank how many trees users have saved

HumanForest ranks every user in the community, based o the TreeCoins they’ve collected. Needless to say, this makes users feel more motivated! The sense of challenge or community often fuels user motivation to compete. The genius of using building blocks is how easy it is to implement new features like the leaderboard that complement existing ones like the TreeCoins. As a result of this strategy, the user benefits from a consistent and streamlined user experience.

The next steps for HumanForest

Because building blocks are flexible and based on app personalization, HumanForest users can expect the platform to remain fresh, exciting, and relevant to them. The app’s development team already wants to utilize more of StriveCloud’s building blocks toolkit. For example, planned features include lotteries to win a bike helmet or personalized challenges such as crossing the River Thames that famously bisects London.

The results for HumanForest? Success! An amazing 35,000 Londoners are using the platform to make their travel greener – benefitting themselves, the city, and the planet. In view of their achievements, HumanForest is valued at an exciting €37.7 million, and their satisfying user experience promises to make the app a major player in the e-bike mobility market across Europe.

TLDR

• As the supply in apps grows, so do user expectations. Users expect a high level of app personalization.
• App building blocks are an easy way of improving your app without spending an endless amount of time in development.
• Building blocks make implementing features easy – think of it as adding a LEGO piece to a structure.
• The flexibility that building blocks provide strengthens your relationship with customers and the competition
• The gamification building blocks from StriveCloud allow you to insert gamification mechanics into your app.
• These gamification blocks allow you to make the user experience competitive and social, as well as reward user participation and make progress visible.
• HumanForest is just one app that is taking advantage of it
• The e-bike mobility app features an in-game currency called TreeCoins that incentivizes sustainable traveling.
• As well as a leaderboard that ranks user’s coins
• And in the future, HumanForest plans to utilize the building blocks to their full potential and include more exciting features!

Put customer motivation at the center of your app. Follow an expert-led gamification workshop & create a custom gamification roadmap!