Improving an Application Using Gamification

Sammanfattning: It is believed that roughly two out of three users stop using a new application within 90 days. This causes problems for developers, trying to produce a successful application with many users. A strategy that has proven to be beneficial is gamification. However, as a developer, it is difficult to know which functionalities to use. Therefore, this thesis looks at which functionalities can increase the likelihood that an application is successful. Knowledge about the subject was collected through a literature study. Nir Eyal’s theories about gamification in his book “Hooked” and related works about gamification was two ways of collecting this knowledge. Also, through performing a case study, where existing applications were observed, it was possible to observe applications with gamification in mind. Thereafter, an attempt was made to implement gamification functionalities into The Bronson Project’s application. Four functionalities were chosen based on the literature study and case study. They are points, own goals, progress bars and achievements. The implementation was evaluated with the conduction of a qualitative interview study, where 9 testers of the application were interviewed. The overall response from the interviews was positive. Interviewees were positive towards the implemented functionalities and believed that the decision to let users decide their own goals was positive. Finally, it was concluded that two functionalities seem to be important for a successful gamification in an application. A progress is important in the application, and a way to count the progress. The conclusions were drawn based on the interviews, along with our own opinions from the case study.