Humans have played games since the dawn of time, as it is a means to have fun, to socialise, to compete and to build a reward system through progression, accomplishment and ultimately a win.
Gamification in market research strives to bring this natural human tendency to surveying, by applying game thinking and game mechanics to engage users in solving problems.
The idea behind it is to convert respondents into players, by offering not a survey but an experience. The key is that players don’t need to be tense nor mentally prepared before setting forth to play. We are not completing a survey in exchange for reward points or a chance to win an iPad. No, this is an experience we were born to enjoy!
This approach holds advantages both for the person taking the survey and for the one carrying it out. Among others, we have identified five main advantages as compared with traditional surveying methods:
- Sense of time is forgotten as the player is focused on the goal;
- Dropout rates are minimized;
- User engagement and data quality are improved;
- Youth participation is encouraged (note that respondents below 34 years of age tend to be the hardest target to reach through traditional surveying methods);
- Players have fun and leave the experience with a sense of accomplishment.