Personalized Mobile App Engagement Strategies

harryspotter
HarrySpotter’s gameplay elements: a) Onboarding: set up account and complete the sorting hat quiz; b) Exploration: location-based features (e.g., keeping track of mayorship around you), and leaderboard; c) Mayorship: AR experience for claiming mayorship (a mage would appear to challenge the user for mayorship); and d) Annotation: capture and annotate objects.

User engagement plays a critical role in the success of mobile apps, particularly in the context of modern Internet companies. To capture users' attention and increase their engagement, mobile apps employ various techniques. However, most apps follow a one-size-fits-all approach, where all users are exposed to the same engagement strategies. This limitation inspired us to explore the influence of users' personality traits on engagement techniques. We developed and deployed a location-based Augmented Reality (AR) mobile app called HarrySpotter, which allowed users to annotate real-world objects. HarrySpotter incorporates gameplay elements inspired by the popular Harry Potter series authored by J.K. Rowling. The series revolves around the adventures of a young wizard named Harry Potter, his friends, and their quest to defeat the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. Drawing inspiration from the series' concept of affiliation through four houses, HarrySpotter introduces four factions: Gryffindor, representing courage and bravery; Hufflepuff, emphasizing hard work and patience; Ravenclaw, highlighting intelligence and learning; and Slytherin, representing ambitions and cunning.

Over the course of a two-week in-the-wild study, 29 participants engaged with HarrySpotter, resulting in a collection of 503 annotated objects. By analyzing the engagement techniques chosen by users during the study, we discovered correlations between these techniques and users' Big-Five personality traits. The findings were compelling: competition-based techniques were found to discourage agreeable users while encouraging conscientious users. Techniques promoting exploration of objects and places appealed to extroverts and individuals open to new experiences. Additionally, techniques focusing on personal achievements were found to motivate neurotic users.

By incorporating gameplay elements inspired by the beloved Harry Potter series, our app HarrySpotter offers a unique and engaging experience tailored to individual preferences. Understanding the interplay between users' personality traits and engagement techniques allows app developers to unlock new possibilities for enhancing user satisfaction and retention.

Publications

  • Our Nudges, Our Selves: Tailoring Mobile User Engagement Using Personality. INTERACT 2023 PDF