Welcome to the world of website gamification, where web design transforms ordinary experiences into interactive journeys. 

Designers have learned that gamification can boost engagement, foster loyalty and drive conversions. So whether you want to make a big aesthetic impression with your site, increase conversions or encourage repeat visits, gamification can turn casual browsers into enthusiastic participants.

Consider this your Wix Studio guide to website gamification, including examples, benefits and best practices. Let the games begin. 

What is gamification? 

Gamification introduces game-like elements to non-gaming settings to positively influence audiences. Most of us have encountered gamification in school, work events and online.

In marketing, gamification became a go-to tactic in the ‘90’s, when big brands incorporated gaming mechanics into their advertising strategies. McDonald’s, for example, introduced their now-famous version of Monopoly. Pepsi introduced a similar type of loyalty program to its customers called Pepsi Stuff. The campaign increased sales by giving consumers the chance to collect points with each bottle of Pepsi, which could be redeemed for prizes in the “Pepsi Stuff Catalog.” 

Today, gamification continues to influence marketing as a powerful tool for building customer loyalty and retention. But the concept takes on new digital forms. Interactive social posts on social media have become prevalent among businesses and influencers to boost engagement and create memorable experiences. In digital design, gamification aims to improve user experiences, as seen for example in the growing gamification of fitness apps. Safe to say, website gamification has become an ongoing web design trend.

The benefits of gamification in web design today

Incorporating gamified elements into web design offers many advantages to enhance user experience, engagement and brand loyalty. By adding a playful and interactive dimension to websites, gamification makes them more enjoyable and captivating for visitors.

Functionally, gamified elements serve various purposes, such as drawing attention to information or helping visitors complete actions. Gamification can also be pure fun, with many brands leveraging it to transcend the boundaries of mere functionality to create memorable experiences for their customers.

With elements that stimulate users' natural desire for play, competition and reward, gamification plays a significant role in driving engagement and can directly influence a website’s success. It can foster customer loyalty, increase conversion rates and enhance brand identity by amplifying the way a user interacts with your website design. 

8 website gamification examples  

01. Rap Syndrome

This Wix Studio Rap Syndrome website is a prime example of gamification in web design. Exploring hip-hop culture through web design, the site puts visitors into the role of creator, enabling them to make music with different categories of sound samples. The site's straightforward and intuitive interface enables users to collaborate and add layers of visuals and sound effects to create a dynamic and engaging experience. Beyond its entertainment value, the designers aimed to showcase the capabilities of Wix Studio website development and demonstrate the versatility and potential of its CMS, Velo code and other tools.

02. Mouse Parallax Goes to Wonderland

Wix’s WOW team is made up of visual innovators who specialize in cutting-edge no-code features for the Wix Editor and Wix Studio products. The team’s showroom site, Mouse Parallax Goes to Wonderland was created as a way to showcase their abilities and celebrate their latest no-code design feature: Mouse Effects. These effects put the user in control of interactions for a game-like element that embraces scrollytelling. The site was awarded "Site of the Day" by Awwwards.

03. Pacman Play

Bringing 1980s Pacman to life using 2020s technology, this Pacman Play website revitalizes the classic game. Powered by Wix Studio and Velo, the site features a multiplayer game with live updates, ticket tracking, chat functions and alerts. You’ll want to share this one with a few colleagues and see for yourself.

04. Ikea Coworker 

In June 2024, IKEA launched its interactive game, "The Co-Worker," to provide visitors with a captivating experience simulating work at their stores. This virtual store aimed to attract a new generation of workers and showcase IKEA's innovative approach to career paths. Here, players immerse themselves in a digital IKEA work environment, creating characters and utilizing their skills in the showroom or renowned Swedish Bistro, with the potential for career advancement. 

05. Gucci 

Gucci is an unexpected winner in the world of website gamification. Whether it's their immersive landing pages that serve as captivating showcases for new products—like Gucci Mascara, Gucci Flora, or their ongoing Gucci Vault project—these sites offer visitors a captivating journey through the famous fashion house’s years of visual and cultural inspiration. Through rich interactive gaming elements that draw inspiration from unexpected influences, these sites not only captivate with stunning visuals and game-like interactions, but also maintain the premium essence of Gucci as a fashion powerhouse.

06. The New Company 

The New Company website is a great example of how small businesses and brands can use subtle gamification techniques to enhance a site’s user interface. Without fully immersing visitors in a gaming experience, the site draws on gaming mechanics to keep us engaged with its content. For instance, the custom cursor design mimics classic computer games like Brick Breaker, tracking elements as we navigate. Throughout the site, we also use the mouse to reveal surprising materials, such as 3D videos or photographs. These delicate animations maintain an uncluttered user interface while providing fun interactions to keep visitors energized and engaged. 

07. Enigma 

Enigma, an annual coding challenge, invites global contestants between 11 and 18 years old to showcase their digital skills. To attract young participants and communicate the organization’s vision, the site incorporates gaming qualities that pay homage to the early days of gaming. With tech fonts, neon colors paired with a black and white color scheme, and a wealth of pixelated animations—browsing this site feels like jumping behind the scenes of a ‘90s Nintendo game.

08. Bastien Gervasoni 

Bastien Gervasoni, a renowned music producer and DJ, crafts captivating music for videos and performs vibrant DJ sets in extraordinary locations. His website features a playful tone, achieved through the integration of interactive elements, while maintaining a balance with sophisticated design and user-friendly functionality. Reminiscent of a video game experience, this site both showcases his beats and actively engages the user.

Best practices for gamifying a website

Whether it's for your own digital portfolio or a project for one of your customers, keep these tips in mind when gamifying your next website.

01. Use the right tools 

For every idea, there are practical tools that bring it to fruition. If you want to design a website with gamified elements, you can either use low-code no-code tools like Wix Studio, or rely on coding if you're comfortable and experienced with it.

“You don’t need to use code and sophisticated elements to make a website more gamey—this is the beautiful thing about a software like Wix Studio,” says Miriam Binyamines, Wix’s technical designer who designed the Rap Syndrome website above. “One of the biggest advantages of using Wix’s CMS is that it's dynamic and easy to use. And you can add out-of-the box features to make interactive experiences.”

On designing the Rap Syndrome site: “We realized code was the best way to do this website, so we used Velo alongside Wix Studio CMS to upload the images,” she says. “Now, we can always change it or add things.”

Here’s an overview of approaches and tools commonly used to gamify websites today:

• Low-code no-code: These tools allow you to add gamified elements without needing to write code, making them ideal for beginners or those focused on design. These include drag-and-drop website builders like Wix Studio, gamification platforms and plugins. 

• Code: If you have some coding knowledge, using code can give you more control and customization options for building gamified websites. JavaScript is the dominant coding language for adding gamified elements, powering dynamic features like points tracking, leaderboards and real-time interactions. Alongside this, HTML and CSS are helpful for styling the site.   

• Content management systems: CMSs are designed to make building and managing websites easier, often without needing to write code. The primary reason to use a CMS is to make the web design and site maintenance processes easier and more efficient. Many web designers use a hybrid approach, leveraging the easy functionality of a CMS while using code to modify their design to enhance the website. (Related: What is a CMS in web design?)

• Analytics and tracking tools: Tools like Google Analytics help you track user progress, set up goals and monitor engagement metrics with your gamified site.

02. Gain an understanding of game mechanics and how to apply them 

Gamification needs to be valuable to both the website owner and the website user. To start, it can only be effective when you have an understanding of the basics of gaming mechanics. For example, concepts like rewards, progress tracking, challenges, feedback, interactive elements and customization options. 

“If a designer really wants to give a world of gaming experience, they should try to push the boundaries of functionality,” says Yarin Ben Hamo, web designer at Wix. “Sometimes, it’s more about interaction rather than the functional transaction.” 

He’s right. One of the benefits of gaming is the aspect of pure fun, which gives us the ability to design outside of the box. “It doesn’t have to be an entire website but designers and brands can think about gaming elements to provide a fun interaction. It’s about putting the user in control,” he adds. 

Once you’ve grasped the foundations, consider how gamification can help your website achieve its goals by forging a connection between the site and the visitor. Define what you want users to do (e.g. engage with content, share your website, make a purchase, participate in a challenge) and how you can use gamification to guide them. Always keep in mind that different users have unique engagement preferences, so you’ll want to understand your target audience before you decide what are the actual elements that can engage them. 

03. Use game-like elements that serve your clients 

As you can see from the examples above, there’s flexibility when it comes to website gamification. You can go into full-on gaming mode, transforming a website into a completely immersive game experience. But you can also incorporate gaming mechanics into websites with more classic functionality. Do this with…

• Animations and interactions: Use animation and interaction options to make buttons, images and text interactive. For example, you can add hover effects, trigger animations when a user completes a specific action, or celebrate achievements with visual effects. You can also give the user more control of the website design, using effects like Mouse Parallax to create an immediate interaction between the visitors and the website. 

• Dynamic pages: Create personalized experiences by using dynamic pages that show user-specific content based on their actions or progress on your website. 

• Gamified apps: Many third party apps offer gamified functionality. For example, interactive quiz apps like Quizell, and spin the wheel apps such Spin to Win engage users with challenges and rewards.   

• Pop ups for feedback: Use internal pop up features or an app like Popup Games to notify users when they complete a task, earn points or unlock a reward.  

• Progress bar: A progress bar can be used to visually show users how close they are to completing a task. For example, a sleek, dynamic bar that changes color as users advance. 

• Add music: Whether background tunes or sounds triggered upon specific actions, music can take your website to a new and more interactive space. “Music is a gamifying aspect because it's not a typical website experience,” Ben Hamo says.

• Visual design elements: Consider using avatars, badges, playful color schemes and pixelated fonts to convey a playful atmosphere without complex gamification.

04. Balance fun with a good user experience 

Every web designer needs to prioritize user experience. While the point of gamification is often to push beyond the boundaries of foundational website functionality, it should still serve a purpose. Paying attention to user experience is important for keeping audiences engaged and motivated, ensuring your gamified elements enhance the user experience and create a seamless user journey, rather than a distracting one.

Good UX ensures that gamified elements, like challenges and rewards, are intuitive and don’t overwhelm users. It balances fun with functionality, making navigation easy while providing satisfying feedback through progress indicators and rewards. A strong focus on UX prevents user frustration, encouraging accessibility and quality website performance to support goals such as driving conversions, positive engagement, repeat visits and gaining new visitors through word-of-mouth.

That being said, gamifying a website is an opportunity to dive in, break the boundaries and have fun. “It's not something you do everyday, and you can surprise yourself when you see the results,” says Ben Hamo. “Designers love boundaries—we get a brief and we like to stick to it—but gamification pushes the boundaries of website design to give the user an unusual experience.” 

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