Bukalapak aimed to increase Daily Active Users (DAU), and the management developed a game concept: Transactions come with collectible pieces that allow users to win prizes when completed.

In the pursuit of increasing DAU (Daily Active Users), how can we attract non-gamers to play our in-app game and revive dormant players?

The initiative led to an increase in Daily Active Users, including both resurrected users and those who were not previously game players but became engaged due to the compelling experience offered by the game.

We used the Octalysis Framework to model our users' motivations. We discovered that our users were primarily motivated by scarcity, avoiding loss, and unpredictability—elements they found "fun" and engaging.

We then experimented with various designs and developed a final version that piqued users' curiosity about rewards and provided small incentives over time.

Additionally, we implemented a gameplay loop where each session was enhanced compared to the previous one, creating a compelling experience that encouraged continuous engagement.

In-app Game as a Growth Booster

We needed to present complex and branching user insights that varied depending on the situation, which was overwhelming. To address this, we decided to create a video game based on our understanding of our users.

How can we deliver complex insights effectively given people's short attention spans for research reports?

How can we build better and deeper empathy for our users?

How can we develop a full-fledged video game with limited resources?

We generated excitement among organization members with the unique format we introduced, which boosted their motivation to study users compared to traditional media. This approach helped people in the organization develop deeper empathy and curiosity about users, prompting them to more effectively address user problems.

We decided to create a very simple game that could still evoke empathy and reflect the daily dilemmas our users face. The game involved exploring areas and interacting with people and objects. Each interaction provided more information and nuances about our users. We designed a straightforward game loop to keep players engaged.

The content of the game is its core. After designing the mechanics and stages, we filled the game with rich content, including text, visuals, and audio.

Following development, we prepared for the release sequence by announcing the game at internal events and sending out messages to our colleagues. Within less than a month, we reached over 150 people within the organization.

Research Delivery Through a Story-Driven Game

The Ministry of Education of Indonesia has a mission to develop teachers. One of the methods to achieve this is by cultivating a habit of self-reflection. As a first step toward that objective, we needed to encourage teachers to continuously perform a series of self-assessments.

How do we encourage teachers to engage in self-reflection assessments, which are often perceived as boring and do not provide immediate rewards?

We successfully encouraged users to start the assessment and even complete the entire series. Over time, we also increased the number of users who completed all the assessments.

Referencing BJ Fogg’s behavioral design framework, we determined that to successfully change behavior—in this case, encouraging users to complete assessments—we needed to create an experience that is both easy and motivating.

Inspired by mobile game UI design, I chose to use color coding, illustrations, and a more graphical approach to ensure the UI was intuitive and user-friendly. To execute this effectively, I organized the team by grouping the designer, copywriter, and illustrator as key drivers in the design process.

To enhance motivation, we presented assessment results as numbers, making them highly comparable among users. This encouraged social interactions like bragging and sharing, which motivated users to complete more assessments. We based our approach on insights from previous user research that identified the main motivational factors for our users.

In-app Game as a Growth Booster

Research Delivery Through a Story-Driven Game

Gamified Assessment for Indonesian Teachers