Everybody likes rewards and appreciation. A shot of dopamine gets released and mediates pleasure in the brain. The increase in the dopamine level also encourages our brain to remember the prior action so that we can repeat it to get the reward again. In other words: rewards make us come back for more.
We distinguish between fixed and variable rewards. The first type is straightforward: we know exactly what to do to get rewarded. Every time the goal is reached we earn something. On the other hand, variable rewards are unpredictable and foster curiosity.
If we’re unsure when we will get a “treat,” we continue to act – just in case. This phenomenon is known as the partial reinforcement effect. Even if the reward disappears entirely, this behavioral pattern will continue for a while because we don’t know if it’s just a longer pause than usual before the next reward. Intermittently reinforced behavior is more persistent than behavior that is acknowledged each time it occurs (Nevin, 1988). So if you want consistent behavior, don’t reward people every time they do something.
The continuation of the response during the condition where no reinforcers are given is called resistance to extinction. Horsley, Osborne, Norman and Wells (2012) have found that high-frequency gamblers show an increased resistance. It’s open to debate whether it’s a cause or an effect of constant gambling.
The researchers Skinner and Ferster (1957) observed that rats respond more often with the desired behavior to press a lever when the rewards were random. Some lever presses succeeded in getting a food pellet, but most went unreinforced.
Points are a form of positive reinforcement in gamified environments. They give feedback to people on how they are progressing. To spur the desired behaviors even more, they can be weighted. If your goal is to drive more user-generated content, give more points to those who create posts than to those who are just liking existing ones. While this game mechanic is interesting, users are not in the system for the points. Reaching a specific amount should yield to additional rewards, like the next level, badges, or more tangible benefits like discounts, freebies and so on. Or even better: Promote intrinsic values. Sites like StackOverflow, a question-and-answer site for programmers, use points to indicate the reputation of their users. Helpful advice gets upvoted by others and, therefore, the more points someone has, the more he is perceived as knowledgeable.
A badge, or a similar concept, is a visible acknowledgment received for a particular action, a period of activity, or as a result of another reward. These days, badges do not have the best reputation in the gamification community because they’re overused, especially in combination with points and leaderboards (PBL). But, they can be effective when they represent something meaningful. Organizations like the military use a similar mechanism to get people to take incredible action. Used wisely, badges can provide trust and reputation in community or marketplace platforms. Try to avoid awarding quantity over quality. Consider raising the bar or limiting the availability of some badges to play up the scarcity game.
Another way to reward users virtually is to grant them more privileges when they have performed certain actions or reached a specific amount of points. These unlockable features can be anything from increased voting rights to moderation power.
Reward early adopters and loyal customers with no extra content – you just take the great stuff you’re already creating and allow some people to see it before the crowd. Notify an exclusive group earlier about discounts, trying beta versions of your new applications, or e-books before they are public to everyone. This tactic also gives you the opportunity to add social proof (Social Proof ) in advance of a launch by getting user reviews.
