Marczewski's User Type Reverse Analysis Tool


See what User Types are most likely to be engaged by your app.

Tick the mechanics and elements that are in your app.

Click the title to find out lots more about each one.

Schedules

  • Random Rewards
    Surprise and delight people with unexpected rewards. Keep them on their toes and maybe even make them smile.
    Free Spirit: 0.25
    Player: 0.25

  • Fixed Reward Schedule
    Reward people based on defined actions and events. First activity, level up, progression. Useful during on-boarding and to celebrate milestone events.
    Achiever: 0.25
    Player: 0.25

  • Time Dependent Rewards
    Events that happen at specific times (birthdays etc.) or are only available for set period of time (e.g. come back each day for a reward). Users have to be there to benefit.
    Player: 0.25

General

  • On-boarding / Tutorials
    No one uses manuals anymore! Help people get used to your system with a nice tutorial or a gentle introduction on how everything works.
    Achiever: 0.25
    Player: 0.25
    Philanthropist: 0.25

  • Signposting
    Sometimes, even the best people need to be pointed in the right direction. Signpost next actions to help smooth early stages of a journey. Use "just in time" cues to help users who are stuck.
    Achiever: 0.25
    Player: 0.25

  • Loss Aversion
    No one likes to lose things. Fear of losing status, friends, points, achievements, possessions, progress etc can be a powerful reason for people to do things.
    Player: 0.75
    Achiever: 0.50
    Free Spirit: 0.25
    Socialiser: 0.25

  • Progress / Feedback
    Progress and feedback come in many forms and have many mechanics available. All User Types need some sort of measure of progress or feedback, but some types work better than others.
    Achiever: 0.75
    Player: 0.50

  • Theme
    Give your gamification a theme, often linked with narrative. Can be anything from company values to werewolves. Add a little fantasy, just make sure users can make sense of it.
    Player: 0.25
    Socialiser: 0.25

  • Narrative / Story
    Tell your story and let people tell theirs. Use gamification to strengthen understanding of your story by involving people. Think like a writer!
    Player: 0.50
    Socialiser: 0.25

  • Curiosity / Mystery Box
    Curiosity is a strong force. Not everything has to be fully explained, a little mystery may encourage people in new directions.
    Free Spirit: 0.50
    Player: 0.50
    Achiever: 0.25

  • Time Pressure
    Reducing the amount of time people have to do things can focus them on the problem. It can also lead to different decisions.
    Achiever: 0.50
    Player: 0.50
    Socialiser: 0.25
    Philanthropist: 0.25

Philanthropists

  • Meaning / Purpose
    Some just need to understand the meaning or the purpose of what they are doing (epic or otherwise). For others they need to feel they are part of something greater than themselves.
    Philanthropist: 1.00
    Disruptor: 0.25

  • Care-taking
    Looking after other people can be very fulfilling. Create roles for administrators, moderators, curators etc. Allow users to take a parental role.
    Philanthropist: 1.00
    Socialiser: 0.25

  • Access
    Access to more features and abilities in a system can give people more ways to help others and to contribute. It also helps make them feel valued. More meaningful if earned.
    Philanthropist: 1.00
    Disruptor: 0.25

  • Collect & Trade
    Many people love to collect things. Give them a way to collect and trade items in your system. Helps build relationships and feelings of purpose and value.
    Philanthropist: 1.00

  • Gifting / Sharing
    Allow gifting or sharing of items to other people to help them achieve their goals. Whilst a form of altruism, the potential for reciprocity can a strong motivator.
    Philanthropist: 1.00

  • Sharing Knowledge
    For some, helping other people by sharing knowledge with them is its own reward. Build the in the ability for people to answer questions and teach others.
    Philanthropist: 1.00

Disruptor

  • Innovation Platform
    Disruptors think outside the box and boundaries of your system. Give them a way to channel that and you can generate great innovations.
    Disruptor: 1.00

  • Development Tools
    Think modifications rather than hacking and breaking. Let them develop new add-ons to improve and build on the system.
    Disruptor: 1.00
    Free Spirit: 0.25

  • Voting / Voice
    Give people a voice and let them know that it is being heard. Change is much easier if everyone is on the same page.
    Disruptor: 1.00
    Socialiser: 0.25
    Philanthropist: 0.25

  • Anonymity
    If you want to encourage total freedom and lack of inhibitions, allow your users to remain anonymous. Be very, very careful as anonymity can bring out the worst in people!
    Disruptor: 1.00

  • Light Touch
    Whilst you must have rules, if you are encouraging disruption, apply them with a light touch. See how things play out before jumping in. Keep a watchful eye and listen to the feedback of users.
    Disruptor: 1.00
    Free Spirit: 0.25

  • Anarchy
    Sometimes you just have to burn it all to the ground and start again. Sit back, throw the rule book out of the window and see what happens! Consider running short "no rules" events.
    Disruptor: 1.00

Free Spirit

  • Exploration
    Give your Free Spirits room to move and explore. If you are creating virtual worlds, consider that they will want to find the boundaries and give them something to find.
    Free Spirit: 1.00

  • Branching Choices
    Let the user choose their path and destiny. From multiple learning paths to responsive narratives. Remember, choice has to be or at least feel meaningful to be most effective and appreciated.
    Free Spirit: 1.00

  • Easter Eggs
    Easter eggs are a fun way to reward and surprise people for just having a look around. For some, the harder they are to find, the more exciting it is!
    Free Spirit: 1.00
    Player: 0.25

  • Unlockable / Rare Content
    Add to the feeling of self expression and value, by offering unlockable or rare content for free spirits to make use of. Link to Easter eggs and exploration as well as achievement.
    Free Spirit: 1.00
    Player: 0.25

  • Creativity Tools
    Allow people to create their own content and express themselves. This may be for personal gain, for pleasure or to help other people (teaching materials, levels, gear, FAQ etc).
    Free Spirit: 1.00

  • Customisation
    Give people the tools to customise their experience. From avatars to the environment, let them express themselves and choose how they will present themselves to others.
    Free Spirit: 1.00
    Disruptor: 0.25

Achiever

  • Challenges
    Challenges help keep people interested, testing their knowledge and allowing them to apply it. Overcoming challenges will make people feel they have earned their achievement.
    Achiever: 1.00

  • Certificates
    Different from general rewards and trophies, certificates are a physical symbol of mastery and achievement. They carry meaning, status and are useful.
    Achiever: 1.00
    Player: 0.50
    Philanthropist: 0.25

  • Learning / New Skills
    What better way to achieve mastery than to learn something new? Give your users the opportunity to learn and expand.
    Achiever: 1.00

  • Quests
    Quests give users a fixed goal to achieve. Often made up from a series of linked challenges, multiplying the feeling of achievement.
    Achiever: 1.00

  • Levels / Progression
    Levels and goals help to map a users progression through a system. It can be as important to see where you can go next as it is to see where you have been.
    Achiever: 1.00
    Player: 0.50

  • Boss Battles
    Boss battles are a chance to consolidate everything you have learned and mastered in one epic challenge. Usually signals the end of the journey - and the beginning of a new one.
    Achiever: 1.00

Player

  • Points / Experience Points (XP)
    Points and XP are feedback mechanics. Can track progress, as well as be used as a way to unlock new things. Award based on achievement or desired behaviour.
    Player: 1.00

  • Physical Rewards / Prizes
    Physical rewards and prizes can promote lots of activity and when used well, can create engagement. Be careful of promoting quantity over quality.
    Player: 1.00

  • Leaderboards / Ladders
    Leaderboards come in different flavours, most commonly relative or absolute. Commonly used to show people how they compare to others and so others can see them. Not for everyone.
    Player: 1.00
    Achiever: 0.25
    Socialiser: 0.25
    Philanthropist: 0.25

  • Badges / Achievements
    Badges and achievements are a form of feedback. Award them to people for accomplishments. Use them wisely and in a meaningful way to make them more appreciated.
    Player: 1.00
    Achiever: 0.25

  • Virtual Economy
    Create a virtual economy and allow people to spend their virtual currency on real or virtual goods. Look into the legalities of this type of system and consider the long term financial costs!
    Player: 1.00

  • Lottery / Game of Chance
    Lotteries and games of chance are a way to win rewards with very little effort from the user. You have to be in it, to win it though!
    Player: 1.00

Socialiser

  • Guilds / Teams
    Let people build close-knit guilds or teams. Small groups can be much more effective than large sprawling ones. Create platforms for collaboration but also pave the way for team based competitions.
    Socialiser: 1.00
    Player: 0.25

  • Social Network
    Allow people to connect and be social with an easy to use and accessibile social netwok. It is can be more fun to play with other people than to play on your own.
    Socialiser: 1.00
    Disruptor: 0.25

  • Social Status
    Status can lead to greater visibility for people, creating opportunities to create new relationships. It can also feel good. You can make use of feedback mechanics such as leaderboards and certificates.
    Socialiser: 1.00
    Philanthropist: 0.25

  • Social Discovery
    A way to find people and be found is a essential to building new relationships. Matching people based on interests and status can all help get people started.
    Socialiser: 1.00
    Philanthropist: 0.25

  • Social Pressure
    People often don't like feeling they are the odd one out. In a social environment this can be used to encourage people to be like their friends. Can demotivate if expectations are unrealistic.
    Socialiser: 1.00

  • Competition
    Competition gives people a chance to prove themselves against others. It can be a way to win rewards, but can also be a place where new friendships and relationships are born.
    Socialiser: 1.00
    Player: 0.50

Spread of Types

Update the values here with results from your own surveys, or use the defaults based on the User Type Survey Here

Achiever
%

Free Spirit
%

Philanthropist
%

Socialiser
%

Player
%

Disruptor
%

Total
100%

Godus

Mechanics

Spread and Engagement


Player= 7.25 / 12.50 * 7
Free Spirit= 6.00 / 7.50 * 15
Achiever= 5.50 / 9.25 * 41
Philanthropist= 2.25 / 7.75 * 9
Socialiser= 0.75 / 7.75 * 20
Disruptor= 0.50 / 7.00 * 8
TypeSpreadEngagement
Player32.6%4.1%
Free Spirit27%12%
Achiever24.7%24.4%
Philanthropist10.1%2.6%
Socialiser3.4%1.9%
Disruptor2.2%0.6%

Spread: The % of mechanics concentrating on a specific User Type. Engagement: % of engaged population made up of a specific User Type

Estimated Total Engagement: 45.6%

Just a little info. The way the engagement is worked out is as follows. I am using the survey data collected from around 2000 people that figures out their User Type(s). The spread of individual types is worked out as a percentage of the total number of times the type is displayed as a dominant type. So if the user type is Achiever / Socialiser, Achiever and Socialiser are both counted as a type in the overall percentage.

Each mechanic or element is weighted against how appealing it is to each of the different types of user. For instance, Random Rewards will appeal to Players and Free Spirits, but less to other types.

This info is then used to work out generally how much your mechanics choices will appeal to each of the types and in turn how appealing / engaging it is likely to be to the general population described in the survey. So if you have lots of mechanics that appeal to just players, then you are going to appeal to a smaller percentage of the population than if you have more social mechanics.

© Andrzej Marczewski 2015