Big Data & Gamification: 7 great tips

Big Data & Gamification: 7 great tips

Originally published in technologyadvice.com by Sarah Weinstein & Leah Carlisle

The results of gamification are pretty obvious− increased sales and engagement, better training, you’ve heard it all, but one of the lesser thought results of Gamification is big data.

Looking at each individually, you may not see how adding game elements into traditionally non-game contexts has anything to do with large data sets. However, with the use of Gamification to increase interactions, companies are collecting more and more information about their users by the second. 

At the root of Gamification, it’s a solution to analyze large sets of data quickly and react. For example, Gamification solutions can quickly divide customers into tiers based on rewards points and create a rich list of a company’s highest spending customers.

Collecting Customer Information

Gamifying external communications can allow you to collect information a consumer normally would not give in a web form. Even gamifying a simple survey has proven to yield more results than a typical survey for market research. With all of these additional fields, companies are receiving more and more information from their customers that can be used in larger contexts, happening the same with any other are to which gamification is applied. In the end, all this information can be used to apply the perfect mechanics, aesthetics and storytelling to our player types (Check out the player types here http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/VictorManrique/20130524/193007/Gamification_Player_Types_The_TimeEngagement_Pyramid.php)

For example, even companies like Foursquare have information such as where a user has checked in at work or at home. Most people would never give out information about where they live and work, but becoming the “mayor” of your own house seems to make the idea a whole lot more appealing.

Actions & Analytics 

In the majority of gamified applications, most, if not every action results in some sort of feedback such as points, badges, quests, in-game economies, etc. Every Gamification platform whether internal or external has hundreds of potential actions that have corresponding results. Storing and analyzing this data can help organizations see measurable results as well as a ROI on Gamification.

If you’re looking for easy to understand overviews of your Gamification analytics, popular Gamification platforms like Badgeville and Bunchball interact with solutions such as Salesforce and Adobe’s Marketing Cloud.

Gamification can be highly successful in collection data, but before you implement a gamified system of any form, make sure you have the appropriate resources to store and analyze the data. If you are already using a CRM solution, most Gamification providers can deliver you with a system that integrates your data seamlessly because in the end, the big data you collect through Gamification will be useless unless you store it, analyze it, and use it to make educated decisions about the future of your organization.

However, that’s not easy and according to a survey conducted by HP, less than 50% of senior business executives indicated that they use all sources of data to analyze and act. 

So here are 7 useful tips that can help you manage massive data and really get something valuable out of it.

1.  Focus on incremental refinement rather than massive innovation.  

As you delve into the pools of data and gain insights, do not feel obligated to make huge, fundamental changes to your business all at once. Making smaller, more manageable and correctable changes such as improvements in site design or personalization can foster steady growth and productivity. Be flexible and tweak efforts in order to see consistent results.

2.  Determine goals for big data that align with business goals.  

Clearly identify and understand individual objectives for your business, such as acquiring new customers, and iterate specific big data goals accordingly, with separate tasks and projects. This will facilitate decisions regarding what data to use and how to use it to advance separate goals and will help us answer the 4 critical questions of gamification design (Have a look at those 4 critical questions here: http://www.epicwinblog.net/2013/06/gamification-design-steps-4-critical.html)

3.  Form a team focused on big data.  

Having a cohesive, well-rounded group that will focus on this area will help to ensure that it stays a priority and that it is done right. The team should include a dedicated executive to provide direction, marketing strategists, web developers, capable analysts, creative employees, and anyone else necessary to represent areas that relate to big data and the processes it impacts.

4.  Pool and integrate information from various channels.  

By putting together information from many streams, such as your website, social data, and CRM data, you will be able to get a much more broad and useful insight into customer behaviour and desires. This will allow you to customize and tailor your efforts in a much more accurate, effective manner.

5.  Identify and standardize best practices.  

By providing real-time, extensive insight into prospective buyer behaviour, big data can indicate what activities, content types, and frequencies are yielding the best results. Once you see that something is consistently working well, make it a standardized, widely used practice.

6.  Utilize tools and technologies that will work for your needs.  

There are many big data and advanced analytics tools out there, it is critical that the tool selected will handle a business’s specific and evolving requirements right now and in the future. These tools can be highly beneficial, but make sure you investigate options fully before deciding which one to use.

7.  Create clear data governance policies. 

It is extremely important that everybody is on the same page with rules and practices surrounding big data, so create and communicate policies from the get-go. Include policies for collecting, processing, and using data as well as storage and security policies.

Big data is far from simple; however, if a company can put it to use effectively, it can lead to dramatic improvements. These tips can help you approach this generally formidable task and really get something out of the immense information being processed in our modern world.

You can find the original posts on technologyadvice.com: 

- http://technologyadvice.com/7-tips-for-harnessing-big-data/
- http://technologyadvice.com/7-tips-for-harnessing-big-data/

Written by Sarah Weinstein & Leah Carlisle

Victor Manrique
@victormanriquey