Attract
Ten-second challenge
Effort: High
What to notice
A short timed mini-game is playable the moment the page opens.
How to build it
- Turn an action related to the product’s value into a game that ends in about ten seconds.
- Explain the rules in one sentence and start the game on the first input.
- Use the result screen to connect what they just did to the product.
Measure
- Main metric
- Game start rate and click-through from the result screen
- Guardrail
- Share who play and leave
When it backfires
A game unrelated to the product gets played without converting. Never let it block the main path.
Theory behind it
Flow
People become absorbed when challenge matches skill and goals and feedback are clear.
Well supported
Goal-setting theory
Specific, challenging goals lead to better performance than "do your best."
Well supported
Game feel
When motion, sound, and light answer an input instantly and pleasantly, touching becomes fun in itself.
Practitioner framework
MDA Framework
Think of a game as three layers: mechanics the designer sets, dynamics that emerge in play, and aesthetics the player feels.
Practitioner framework
Playable demos
Try the same mechanism in a playable demo.