Facebook Using Game Design to Drive New User Engagement
Many social application designers and game developers have come to appreciate many of the subtle ways in which Facebook incorporates game design and psychology in the site.
This week, Facebook started testing a new “progress bar” module to new users’ profile pages to encourage them to quickly become more deeply engaged with the site. When new users join Facebook, they’ll see a partially full blue bar with a list of next steps they can take to “make it go up.”
Interestingly, however, friends can also help new users “make progress” by suggesting new friends for them or interacting with content they’ve created. In the screenshot above, for example, Kye’s friends can help him “move up” by commenting on photos he’s uploaded. This in turn accelerates the rate at which new users get introduced to some of the core value propositions that Facebook offers. LinkedIn has been doing this for years, but their progress bar is not visible to friends/connections – only yourself.
Who wouldn’t want to help a friend make progress toward the next level?
December 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I haven’t come across this yet but I like the concept!
December 7th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
This has long been a feature of LinkedIn but only for the user. Exposing someone’s profile-building progress to the network is interesting.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
As a new user of Facebook… the only time I have ever seen the progress bar was when viewing my profile over the shoulder of someone else… I haven’t seen it anywhere in my editor/admin panel… IMO Facebook does not make it clear to the user how to increase progress or make the bar go away… like linkedin.
August 13th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I really hate this progress bar. Facebook doesn’t detail how a user can make it go away and it’s really complicated. My friends have done all the tasks as have I and it still won’t go away.
I hate it.
It means that people can’t view my profile on thir mobile phone either =\
June 7th, 2010 at 5:58 am
I agree with the previous poster.
Facebook needs more details on the progress bar rather than forcing “some” of the new accounts, with absolutely no options or solutions, onto the page.
This sounds like a good idea, but if the thought was followed through- they might have seen the problems that have awaited ahead.