Gamifiable Episode 1— How Nike Apps help me stay fit and have fun
Gamifiable series will be breaking down how brands and apps engage audiences by gaming the system and making it fun.
More and more brands have realised the importance of “Gaming the System” and have started to embrace gamification and engagement through game mechanics. I’ve been using the Nike Running and the Fuel Band (even though inaccurate) for 18 months and they’ve motivated me shed some extra kilos, stay fit and most importantly have fun in the process.
The Defining Virtues of the Nike+ Apps
Nike+ Running app in its simplest form shares three defining characters. Goals, Feedback System and Participation.
Goals
The entire Nike+ ecosystem is driven by goals. Goals give the users a true sense of purpose and continuously warrants participation. The goals also help the users focus their attention on the given task.
With the Running app, you can either do a basic run or set a distance, time or speed goal and challenge yourself. It also gives you subtle suggestions while you set a goal — Beating your average, Beating your Personal Record, Your last run distance and so on. These are compelling options to make the goal and workout more interesting.
With the Nike+ Fuel Band app, you set daily goals for the Fuel points earned on that day. Fuel is Nike’s universal measurement for movement and activity. Since its a daily goal system, you set it once and it resets every day. You can also adjust your goal by 10% when you wish to.
The best part was when Nike decided to run a campaign. It dropped vending machines across US (New York) and Japan where you could trade Fuel points for gear. Even though I live in India and couldn’t trade points for gear, its just exciting to know that Nike is integrating the technology and the products to create excitement amongst users. You never know when one will drop in your city.
Feedback System
If goals drive the players to achieve, feedback systems help the players to track how close are they to achieving the goal. Nike+ Running and Fuel Band apps have some of the most extensive and fun feedback system of all. It motivates the players to keep playing.
The live feedback system of the Running App is a delight. You have a voice update for every KM/Mi — Total Distance, Average Pace, Total time and the remaining goal. This helps you stay on track and pace yourself accordingly. The UI for the Live feedback system in the app is also highly glanceable and contextual. Depending on the type of your run goal, the glanceable diplayed data also changes.
The post run feedback is ridiculously extensive. Along with the map of your run with the Calories burnt, Fuel earned, Pace and Duration, you also get to track elevation (based on your Mobile Device) and Speed difference throughout the run.
Participation
By using Total Distance Run — it establishes a common ground for multiple people to participate and play together. There is a weekly and monthly leader board of the total distance run. That way the user is constantly reminded who are they up against after every run.
Apart from the total distance run, it also calculates Fuel Points for every run and that is another way users could compare profiles.
Dashboard, Badges and Design
Stats and Trophies make the Nike+ Dashboard the most exciting part. All your detailed runs, sessions and fuel earned at one place. Last 3 months, I’ve started to check the dashboard more often. The Low-Poly style trophy badges, slick animations make the dasboard even more an exciting place to be in after days of intense workout and activity.
Overall I’ve been pretty impressed with the Nike’s Product and Technology team and how they’ve managed to keep me hooked to the Nike Fuel band and Running App and in the process keeping me fit.
At the end, they make us happy because we usually don’t relate games to tedious hard work. Psychologically play sounds like the very opposite of work. By gamifying products and experiences, they get our complete focus and optimism — make us feel we’re good or getting better at something and enjoy the process.
Wishing to cover more gamified products and apps. Please share the post, if it managed to kindle some interest (If you’re reading this I’m sure it did).
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