How to Add Game Elements Into Healthcare App Development

Gaming creates unique experiences that users around the world love. From engaging sights and sounds to immersive environments and the rush to score points, gaming has plenty of things going for it to get people interested.

It’s no wonder, then, that gamification is working its way into everything from online learning to fitness tracking to sales and marketing. Now, with pioneers pushing the limits of gamification into new and exciting arenas, it is possible to extend the concept to the development of healthcare apps.

Gamification of healthcare apps means adding elements of play to the app while not altering its overall mission. Those elements of play can include point scoring, competition with others, and certain rules. The overall goal is the encouragement of engagement with a product or service. Keep in mind, though, that adding elements of gamification to a healthcare app does not necessarily mean that app visitors will be running through mazes or killing alien invaders. It also does not mean that you app developers will necessarily need to create elaborate systems of experiences and unlock badges or score points (although you could).

What Are the Benefits of Gamification?

Gamification has a long list of benefits to companies across various industries. In sum, it is a motivator, both for learning, buying, and getting more done. Infusing gaming and leveraging the motivating benefits of competitiveness makes apps more dynamic, no matter what they do, and increases engagement.

When used right, gamification:

• It makes learning, shopping, and interacting fun and engaging
• Creates an interest – and sometimes even a passion – for the experience
• It allows users to see real-world applications of the content
• Offers users real-time feedback
• Improve user experience overall
• Produces more engagement with content
• Motivates users and encourages efficient learning and enhanced cooperation

How Does Gamification Work?

Gamification works in apps by providing engaging, proactive directions and feedback through game mechanics. It encourages accomplishing goals and objectives, whether by burning calories or adding points through purchasing items.

Good gaming experiences worm their way into users’ emotions. Additionally, it encourages further use by providing immediate feedback on performance and guidance toward the following steps to reach new goals and achievements.

Gamification in app development can profoundly benefit business since it drives engagement to influence results at its basic level. Participation in gamified activities at the business level shows people how to interact with your service, products, personnel, brand, and content.

But gamification goes beyond simply getting users to track, subscribe, and buy. Since much of the concept of gamification in apps is about accrual – whether it be points, steps, or calories burned – the process of gamification provides businesses with a lot of highly usable data. 

For example, do people walk more on Tuesdays? Do they respond to sales better in the morning? Are weekends prime times for engagement? What influence does a red call to action button have over a blue call to action button? The opportunities for gathering valuable data are almost endless.

Further, it is essential to realize that gamification can go beyond consumers to include your employees. When done right, gamification in the workplace can have many of the same benefits as gamification aimed at customers. Some of those benefits include:

• Better learning
• Better use of management tools
• Increased employee knowledge
• Better performance and satisfaction

How to Add Game Elements to Your Healthcare App

Depending on exactly who your healthcare app is for and what goals you are trying to accomplish, several game elements are at your disposal. Of course, not all of these will work for every app, but many will.

1. Graphics that pop: Graphics that are immediately visually engaging draw in audiences young and old. These graphics can look like a cartoon or be photo-realistic. Either way, the main idea is to add a visual element that draws users in and makes it feel like this is something to be played and won.
2. The sounds that attract: Adding sound to your app brings in a new element of engagement and interaction. Audio can be used at strategic points during app use and include clips, timers, and more.
3. Progress bars: Progress bars, whether in a table or graph or something else, are where the rubber hits the road for gamification in healthcare apps. Progress keeps the user engaged – everyone likes to accrue points, pick up bonuses, and see their score improve.
4. Score competition: Games need a score, and having a score creates competition, which gets users engaged and eager to improve. They can race a clock, a friend, or other (anonymized) users. A leaderboard with a high score panel would add another element of engagement.
5. Timers: Timers and clocks add a sense of urgency to every game and pressure the user to perform. Timer ranking could go hand-in-hand with the high score panel or leader board, encouraging users to complete tasks before they expire and boosting points for those who do.

Examples of Gamification

Your app, its audience, and your goals for it will determine to a large extent what sort of gamification tools you can use. Here are some examples:

• Award badges and points through a loyalty program
• Turn dry lessons into addictive challenges
• Perform actions in the app to earn points and prizes
• Build a winning streak and work through progressive achievement levels
• Let users bid on items
• Earn points for prompt payment or on-time task completion
• Set time limits for completing tasks
• Award prizes for users who complete tasks on time

While adding gamification elements to your healthcare app can have huge benefits, actually including those elements – and doing so successfully – can be more complicated than it looks. Therefore, this is where a high-quality app developer like Digital Authority Partners can help in your healthcare app development. 

Contact Digital Authority Partners today to learn more about how your app can engage better with your customers.