Discovery & Validation
Market Research: Interviewed 30+ college students and professors to identify gaps in existing tools (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard).
Key Insight: “I feel isolated in online courses and lose motivation without milestones.”
Competitive Analysis: Mapped gamification trends in Duolingo and Coursera to prioritize features.
Design
Core Gamification Features:
Progress Avatars: Customizable characters that level up with course completion
Peer Challenges: Bite-sized group tasks (e.g., “Complete 3 quizzes with a study buddy”).
Streak System: Daily login rewards to build habit loops.
Communication Tools:
Lightweight in-app forums for study groups
Testing & Iteration
Prototype Testing: Conducted 20+ moderated sessions with students.
Results:
90% found avatars “motivating” and streaks “addictive.”
Simplified peer challenges after users called original version “too competitive.”
Outcomes
Pre-Launch Validation: Secured interest from 2 universities for pilot programs.
Investor Pitch Success: Gamification strategy helped secure seed funding by demonstrating a 25% projected retention increase.
Team Collaboration: Reduced developer rework by 40% through annotated Figma handoffs.
Startups require balancing bold ideas with scrappy validation.
Gamification in education thrives on collaboration, not just competition.
MVP designs must align with technical constraints and investor timelines.
