Gamification has changed the way we approach education and learning. By adding points, rewards, and competition to educational apps, you can make students more engaged and motivated to learn.
This “How to” will cover the basics of gamification and give you practical tips to create gamification apps for education.
Do you want to create a fun and interactive way for students to learn new subjects? Or maybe you want to increase engagement and motivation? Either way, this is a must-read for anyone who wants to gamify education.
We have years of experience in software development and know how to create gamification apps for education. Our team is committed to giving the best experience to students and educators. This makes us one of the top companies in innovative education.
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How Gamification Learning Apps Change the Niche
Gamification in education apps turns boring apps into fun, interactive, and motivating experiences. Students will stay focused and interested in what they are learning.
What do you have to do for it? Add game-like elements such as points, rewards, leaderboards, and progress tracking to educational apps.
Also, gamification adds a layer of fun to the learning process. This can reduce boredom and increase motivation. Students can compete with their peers, earn rewards for their achievements, and track their progress. This gives them a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Besides, gamification allows educators to personalize and tailor the learning experience to each student’s needs and interests. With gamification, students can learn at their own pace, on their own terms. Everyone has a meaningful and relevant way of memorizing information.
Overall, gamification changes how we approach education and learning, making it more fun, engaging, and effective.
Gamification Tools in e-Learning
Gamification tools are the mechanics and features that make an application gamified, so they’re a must-have. Here are some of the most important ones for e-learning apps:
| Gamification Tools | Description | Example Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Points | Rewards are given for completing tasks or achieving goals | Tracking progress and incentivizing learners to complete courses or achieve certain milestones |
| Badges | Visual representation of a user’s achievements | Recognizing mastery of specific topics or completing certain actions |
| Leaderboards | Displays top performers, promoting competition and collaboration | Motivating learners to improve their performance |
| Feedback and Progress Tracking | Providing immediate feedback and tracking progress | Helping learners understand how much they’ve learned and what they need to focus on next |
Advantages of Gamified Learning Apps for Adults
Advantages of Gamification in Learning Apps for Learners
Increases engagement and motivation
Gamified learning apps add a layer of fun and excitement to the learning process. This helps reduce boredom connected with education and increases motivation.
Gamified Learning Platform Allows for personalized learning
Users can personalize the learning experience. Thus, the process adapts to each student’s needs and interests.
Fosters a sense of competition and accomplishment
A sense of competition and accomplishment can help motivate students to do their best and track their progress.
Enables progress tracking
It allows educators to:
- track student progress
- identify areas where students need support
- adjust their teaching approach accordingly
Advantages of Gamification in Learning Apps for Businesses and Vendors
Increased Revenue
Gamification can drive more profit for your business. By creating interesting, interactive learning experiences, they can attract and retain more customers. As a result, they generate more money through paid subscriptions or course offerings.
Provides valuable data on learner behavior
Businesses can target their marketing and improve the quality of their courses. How? Just use gamification to collect useful data on student behavior. The key is to make the process intuitive and as easy as possible.
Mistakes to Avoid When Implementing Gamification
Overcomplicating game mechanics
Keep gamification simple, and don’t overcomplicate the mechanics. Otherwise, the learners will get confused and disengaged.
Neglecting the learning experience
Gamification should enhance the learning experience, not detract from it. Don’t lose sight of the learning goals in the pursuit of fun and games.
Focusing too much on rewards
Rewards can be a motivator but shouldn’t be the only focus. Focus on the learning experience and the outcomes.
Ignoring feedback
Feedback is key to continuous improvement. Get feedback from the learners on the gamification design. This will help refine the approach and make it more effective.
Top 5 Educational Apps with Gamification
Educational apps can keep students on track with their learning by adding competition, rewards, and progress tracking.
Let’s look at the top 5 educational apps with gamification:
Duolingo
Duolingo is a language learning app that uses gamification in many ways:
- points
- levels
- streaks
- achievements, etc.
Users earn points for completing lessons and can level up as they progress.
Streaks reward users for studying consistently over time. Achievements give a sense of accomplishment and recognition for milestones reached.
This gamification will keep users motivated and engaged in their learning journey. This will most definitely lead to better educational outcomes.
Classcraft
Classcraft is a role-playing game that allows teachers to gamify their classrooms. Students choose avatars and work together in teams to complete quests and earn points.
Classcraft incorporates elements of game-based learning:
- storylines
- quizzes
- assessments, etc.
The solution helps students to collaborate and engage in education. And when it’s interesting, it becomes a ‘want’, not a ‘must’. As a result, learners’ outcomes improve over time.
Kahoot!
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform. It allows educators to create:
- quizzes
- surveys
- discussions
The platform uses gamification techniques such as:
- points
- leaderboards
- timed quizzes
All of those create a fun and competitive learning environment.
Kahoot! can help users stay engaged and focused during lessons. This leads to better student retention and learning outcomes.
Quizlet
Quizlet is an online learning platform where your students can create and study digital flashcards. The app uses points, streaks, and leaderboards to keep them studying and tracking their progress.
These gamification elements keep them motivated and engaged. And the app has classic benefits:
- better studying
- better retention
- better results
Prodigy
Prodigy is a math game where you choose an avatar and battle monsters by answering math questions. They use points and leaderboards to compete and incentivize learning. This gamification will keep you engaged and motivated to learn math and improve your math skills and confidence.
How to Add Gamification to a Learning App?
When adding gamification to a learning app, there are a few things to consider. After all, you want to do everything right! Here are a few recommendations from ProCoders based on our experience.
Understand the Difference between Game Mechanics and Gamification
It’s worth understanding the difference between game mechanics and gamification.
- Game mechanics are the rules and processes of a game
- Gamification is the application of game elements to non-game contexts
When you gamify studying app, focus on the user experience and engagement, not just the game mechanics.
Balance is the key!
Allow for User-Created Content
Allowing users to create and share their own content can promote engagement and increase the sense of community.
Especially now, when making content is so popular among young people. Consider adding features that let users share their learning materials. They can also create quizzes to challenge other users and write other pieces.
They get creative freedom, and you get the content!
Offer Rewards for Completion
Rewards can motivate users to complete tasks and continue learning in your app. Consider offering badges, points, or other incentives for completing levels or milestones within your app.
Be Mindful of Your App’s Target Market
When designing gamification elements, keep in mind your app’s target market. Different age groups, learning styles, and demographics may respond differently to gamification. Tailor your elements to your target audience for maximum effectiveness.
Gamification in Education Apps: Costs and Budget Traps
The costs of gamification in education apps can vary. The factors include the project’s scope, the elements’ complexity, and the development team.
The costs can range from 10,000 to 100,000 dollars and even more. ProCoders are more than willing to help you avoid budget traps, which can be:
Underestimating the Development Costs
Be realistic about the costs of additional game development. You’ll need to budget accordingly.
This may be quite difficult. If you have no idea how much to plan and how long it will take to earn the money back, we have an idea.
You can always contact ProCoders. With our Discovery Phase service, we’ll thoroughly study your idea and calculate the budget needed for every development stage.
Neglecting User Testing
Launching an app without testing it with real users can lead to negative reviews and decreased user retention.
That’s what MVPs are for. You deploy a beta version of an app and see what users have to say about it.
Addressing issues and negative feedback later on can be time-consuming and costly. So, testing a basic version before launch can help avoid issues, saving time and resources.
Overcomplicating the Gamification Elements
It may be tempting to add multiple features. However, it’s important to keep the gamification elements simple and relevant. Adding many complex pages, buttons, etc., can lead to a confusing user experience. This may result in decreased user retention and negative reviews.
In addition, it can also cost more. The more features you add to the app, the more resources it will take to develop and maintain.
To avoid this mistake, work with designers who understand user experience and can develop simple yet effective features. At ProCoders, we offer professional design services. We will help you create engaging yet simple elements for your education app.
Hiring the Wrong Development Team
Hiring the wrong development team can be costly when adding gamification to education apps. Without the right skills and experience, the app may fail to engage users.
This can result in negative reviews and decreased user retention.
To avoid these pitfalls, it’s important to research potential candidates thoroughly.
We at ProCoders always offer partners to interview their future developers.
Poor Planning
It’s crucial to have a solid plan in place for the gamification elements, including a timeline, budget, and scope, to ensure that the project stays on track and within budget.
How ProCoders Can Implement Gamification in Your App?
No matter if you start from scratch or have an app already. ProCoders, with years of experience under our belt, can help gamify learning apps. We want to help you create an engaging and practical learning experience for your students.
Sooo, how can we do it?
Discovery Phase
Before starting the gamification process, we have something called a “discovery phase service“.
At ProCoders, we offer a set of services that include a comprehensive study and analysis of the client’s project. We do it to provide an accurate estimation of the required resources and time before proceeding with project development.
To start the process, the client provides all relevant materials. We then thoroughly examine them to identify the business problem. Next, we conduct extensive research and analysis.
After that, our team delivers precise estimations of our findings to the client. We outline the exact number of frames, designs, screens, and other requirements. In the plan, we also add development stages and budgets.
If the client wishes to integrate additional features, we do API testing phase and documentation study. So, at the end of the Discovery phase, you’ll get a complete development plan.
You can choose to work with ProCoders further or hire some other development team and bring your project to new heights!
Avengers Assemble!
ProCoders will assemble a team of skilled and experienced professionals. They deeply understand gamification and its potential for learning. We have experienced mobile app developers for hire and designers in our pool who are willing to join ASAP. But, for instance, there are situations where all our superheroes are busy helping others. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t worry. We’ll find the right specialists for you in up to 14 days.
Development
Once the learning gamification app features have been planned, they have to be developed. We use the latest tools and technology to make sure everything is done efficiently and effectively. Plus, during the development process, the client has direct access to the development team so they can be kept up to date on the project’s progress. This transparency allows the client to give feedback and make changes during the work in progress.
Testing
Testing is a big part of the development process, and we take it very seriously. Our QA team conducts thorough application testing to find any issues or bugs before release. We use automated and manual testing to make sure the application meets the client’s requirements and works smoothly.
And if needed we can do user testing to get feedback on the app’s usability and functionality. This allows us to adjust the application based on user feedback and get a better end product for the client and their users.
Once you get to the forefront of gamification in education, we’ll be there to support you.
Integration
During integration, we must ensure all the features are working correctly. We also check whether the game elements work well with the app’s functionality.
Integrating new tech can be risky. Sometimes, it breaks existing features or causes unexpected bugs.
At ProCoders, we take a proactive approach by thoroughly testing and analyzing your app before updating it.
We use automated and manual testing tools. This makes sure the new features work as expected and don’t break the app’s existing functionality. We also provide support and maintenance to fix any issues after integration.
Maintenance, updates and support
You thought that we would leave you once everything is done? No way! We are here for the long term, and we’ll provide ongoing maintenance and support!
We’re interested in your success, and we want to make sure your app remains up-to-date and running smoothly. Our team will be available to address any issues and provide regular updates.
Conclusion
In summary, gamification in education apps can change the way students learn and retain information. By adding game-like elements such as points, badges, and leaderboards, learning can be more engaging, interactive, and better for students.
When done right, gamification can transform the learning experience and make education more fun and effective for students. So, if you want to add gamification to your learning app, get in touch with ProCoders today.
