Currently, there are over one million apps released in the marketplace. Billions of them are already installed onto devices. However, according to a 2013 Flurry survey, only a 25% of the apps installed are used after a three-month period from users, indicating below average loyalty. Thus, a need to introduce new engagement concepts and methods so as to provide interactive and exciting experiences to mobile users, has occurred. Businesses and brands of various sectors are intensively embracing gamification and edutainment (learning through entertainment) as key strategies in order to generate simple, creative, engaging ways of connecting and communicating with their audiences.
The challenge of creating fun, informative and learning mobile apps requires compelling development and know-how, combined with deep strategy and effective targeting. Some guidelines for achieving successful educative mobile content and drive engagement include:
- User Interface and Presentation: To evaluate the functionality and engagement of an app, one crucial step is to provide an appealing, pleasant, user-friendly interface, able to stimulate the user’s interest and to simplify the interaction process. The efficiency of an informative, entertaining app is accompanied with simplicity, clarity and consistency.
- Classifying targeted audience: Before designing the app, several criteria must be first considered such as the app’s scope (e.g., whether it is s educational, informative or amusing), as well as the age, sex, demographics and profile of the target group (e.g., the audience is sporting, studious, affluent etc). These are key elements for providing relevance and a direct connection to the learning objectives for the target audience.
- Injecting the fun and enjoyment factor: One of the main challenges for designers and content providers is to balance equally the fun and learning ingredients. By encouraging the user’s creativity and self-expression, an educative application can drive motivation in a challenging and stimulating environment. Rewards through gamified learning apps are central for users as they bring value to their actions.
- Personalization of learning: That is the ability to adjust content and settings so as to meet the specific needs of the learner. For example the user can enter personal info to interact with personalized content and hence acquire a more active role in the learning process.
- Enhancing loyalty to the platform/content/provider/brand: An informative and gamified learning environment has a long term appeal to continuously generate engagement and inspire users. A productive, motivated and creative user is an engaged one.
- Stimulation of social interactions: Being a part of a community raises the feel of competiveness and adds motivation to users. Educative apps should encourage their audiences to interact together and socialize the app’s cause by leaving feedback, sharing via social media, receiving recommendations, promoting the brand message on a larger scale etc.
MPASS provides the know-how and the expertise to develop and launch added value apps. By integrating with MPASS’s solutions for iOS/Android platforms, our clients can increase their apps’ engagement ability and also deliver exciting, creative, educational and entertaining content.
MPASS has recently developed and launched for the International Olympic Truce Center, the Truce Game, an interactive android app and educative quiz. Also the 1000+1 Penalties android app is suggested for a sporting audience. Visit 1000+1 Penalties to download the app.