A few of you pointed out that the link to my 2014 article for commercelab is down, so I have uploaded a PDF of it: Gamification principles you should consider in mobile product management

As I read this article, I realized there are two more important aspects that I have learned in the past couple of years that I should share. This is what I would add if I were to write the article today:

Focus on your core, and build out from there

Games have to focus on their core function or they won’t get used. For example, a lot of games focus on movement and actions (fire, gather, etc.) and then add functionality on that. If you don’t have the basics, you won’t have a very good app. If your game has a poor core function, it won’t get used, so their survival depends on it. It’s easy to get caught up in neat features, or cool ideas, but if the core isn’t solid, the experience will suffer. How do you identify the core? Take away everything, and then add back technology and features until people can get the job done with your app and no more.

Summarize and display of important information

Games are creating and operating with huge amounts of data, yet they don’t overwhelm players. They use clever views, HUDs and maps to show you what you need in context, and right now. Some games are brilliant at showing you what is important within your current location and context, yet providing cues to change focus and look elsewhere for important events or information. They are brilliant at information architecture and information display. We are often at a loss with non-game apps and easily overwhelm and confuse users. Games on the other hand have a lot of approaches for showing just the right amount of information, in a way that grabs your attention, right when you need it.