We all have that natural urge to compete, whether it is trying to outsmart a friend in a quiz, claiming the title of the Monopoly master in the family, or just beating our own record in a run. In fact, just as a bit of healthy competition adds some spice to life in general, it also works wonders when it comes to employee learning.

This is where gamification in learning platforms like LXPs comes into the picture. Simply put, gamification involves integrating game elements and mechanics into non-game settings. Studies have shown that a whopping 80% of learners feel that eLearning with gamification is way more effective, and 67% say they feel more motivated to dive into a gamified course compared to a traditional one. That is the power of gamification in a learning platform!

How does gamification work in LXPs? What is its role in transforming employee learning? We answer questions like these and more in this blog.

In the context of LXPs, gamification refers to the process of incorporating various gaming elements like badges, scores, points, leaderboards and so on into the platform to make learning more engaging and interactive for employees. Using these tools, gamification digitally captivates learners, encouraging them to actively engage with the course content as they meet their learning goals.

Within LXPs, gamification enhances the learning journey by instilling in learners a feeling of achievement and progress as they successfully navigate through various learning activities. It taps into the fundamental human desires for recognition, achievement, competition and collaboration, effectively transforming routine tasks into more engaging and rewarding experiences.

Leveraging gamification in LXPs offers a number of advantages that can boost the effectiveness of employee learning and development.

1. Enhances Knowledge Retention

A key benefit of gamification is that it boosts knowledge retention by offering learners a more engaging and interactive learning environment, a necessity for fast-paced modern workplace learning.

For instance, on a regular day at work, as learners use gamification within the LXP, here’s what they get. Instead of tedious training sessions, they dive into a scenario where they could be a problem-solving guru tackling a business challenge. While in the game, they are also learning and making decisions that actually matter in the business world.

That’s how gamification in LXPs incorporates scenario-based learning to enable learners to apply their knowledge in realistic situations, contributing to more effective information retention. Besides, the use of instant feedback and rewards reinforces learning, resulting in more robust content retention.

2. Increases Learner Engagement

According to a Gallup report, a staggering 51% of employees are disengaged at work. This is concerning because engaged learners have been known to contribute a remarkable 218% increase in revenue. Enter gamified LXPs that can make a significant impact on improving learner engagement.

Gamification offers learners a feeling of advancement and accomplishment, motivating them to continue their learning effort. The addition of points, badges and leaderboards creates a spirit of competition and challenge, prompting learners to actively engage in learning and aim for greater accomplishments. Additionally, gamification instills a sense of ownership and control in learners, making them more personally invested in their learning journey.

3. Reduces Learning Fatigue

Conventional learning approaches can often induce weariness and disinterest among employees, posing a challenge for them to maintain engagement. Gamification in LXPs injects fun and excitement, transforming mundane tasks into captivating challenges.

This not only revitalizes the learning experience but also alleviates the fatigue that commonly accompanies routine training sessions.

4. Improves Learning Quality

Gamification in LXP seamlessly weaves in game mechanics, including feedback and rewards that give learners a quick lowdown on how they are doing. This setup helps them zero in on areas for improvement and sparks the drive to step up their game.

Moreover, the gamification twist encourages them to try out diverse learning paths, test fresh approaches, and weigh alternative solutions. This dynamic approach contributes to a deeper understanding of the content, delivering a richer and more comprehensive learning experience.

5. Turns Learning into Achievements

In a gamified LXP, everyday tasks are created as achievable milestones that help instil a sense of accomplishment among learners. Meeting challenges, gaining points or unlocking new levels becomes a daily ritual that employees eagerly wait for.

This sense of success creates a positive mindset, ultimately ensuring that learning is not a cumbersome task but rather a set of reachable victories.

6. Promotes Interactivity

Within an LXP, gamification promotes practical, interactive learning. Rather than passively absorbing information, employees actively engage in scenarios, solve problems, and make decisions within the gamified environment.

This experiential learning method enhances understanding and retention. Result: employees are able to grasp concepts better through practical application rather than relying on just memorizing.

7. Makes Workforce Future-Ready

The skills that employees gain by using a gamified LXP aren’t just for the here and now. They are in fact an investment for the future – an essential need given that half the global workforce might need reskilling by 2025, as per the World Economic Forum.

Given that employees remain engaged as they learn with gamification, this forward-looking approach to skill development equips them better to handle upcoming challenges and opportunities.

Employee Onboarding:

The onboarding phase is crucial for new hires, and gamification in LXP eases the process. Through engaging and user-friendly onboarding training, companies can assist new employees to confidently step into their new roles.

Upskilling & Reskilling:

Introducing new product or service offerings requires effective upskilling and reskilling. Gamification ensures employees are motivated so that they can easily adopt to the new offerings. As employees engage in healthy competition, the learning process is faster and more enjoyable.

Compliance Training:

Gamification in LXP breathes new life into compliance training, which is often tedious and intense. Adding game elements and learning competitions not only lightens the training load but also guarantees that employees assimilate crucial information.

Sales Enablement:

Gamification in the LXP turns sales training into an interactive experience. With interesting elements like mini-games, it enables sales teams to navigate challenging client conversations, refresh product knowledge and hone sales techniques efficiently.

To effectively incorporate gamification in LXPs, organizations need to adhere to certain best practices as below:

Close alignment with learning objectives:

While enhancing employee engagement is a key benefit of gamification, the idea of incorporating it in LXPs should not be just to achieve that. Instead, the focus should be on aligning training closely with learning objectives. Game mechanics and elements should relate to the learning content as closely as possible, ultimately, reinforcing learning outcomes.

Overall inclusivity:

Gamification in LXPs should be inclusive and accessible to all learners, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Organizations must ensure that game mechanics are not discriminatory and are designed to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Balanced challenge levels:

Gamification should find the right equilibrium between challenge and ability to manage. The design should motivate learners without overwhelming or frustrating them. The difficulty level of the game should be such that it takes into consideration the skill levels of all kinds of learners.

The integration of gamification in LXPs can significantly improve the effectiveness of employee learning and development. With game mechanics in the learning process, organizations can see greater employee engagement as well as improved quality of learning.

The right LXP with gamification can offer a more captivating and immersive learning journey, ultimately leading to improved employee performance and motivation.