i++ Issue #4: The next Zapier or IFTTT will use Game Design

Instead of manipulating “users,” the best products of today are putting technology back in control of people’s hands by using game play principles, not game mechanics. Understanding the difference between these two things, and how they apply to products outside of the gaming category, will dictate the difference between the winners and losers of pr... See more

In 2010, many thought making something “social” meant adding comments or likes, or if they were building a social graph meant adding a “follow” button. These were just the building blocks of social networks, they were the result – not the cause of what made social networks fun to be on. The reality was that each decision made in designing a social ... See more

The Superhuman “product market fit test"went viral a few years ago, but I think this was a distraction from Superhuman’s even more interesting insight – how to incorporate game design into a productivity tool. This is huge and can basically serve as a roadmap on how to incorporate game design into a NoCode/LowCode platform.

That same subtle distinction is happening today in when people mistake game mechanics for game play.

Principle 1: Create goals that are concrete, achievable, and rewarding: Application to NoCode: The creation process for Zapier is itself concrete (there’s a clear goal which is to create an automation). The goal is also achievable on two fronts. First, it’s achievable because Zapier includes so many different lego blocks I can almost certainly crea... See more