Designing the interface of a token-based game for ClayStack to manage its waitlist and boost community engagement on Twitter and Discord.
15k new users,
98% growth in engagement
ClayStack Malawi: Gamifying the Waitlist
Overview
Understanding the Problem
ClayStack had a rapidly growing waitlist for its Alpha launch. The challenge was to manage the influx of users while maintaining interest and anticipation. Additionally, we sought to create a stronger community around the platform.
Design Process
Defining the Game
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Core Mechanics: Developed a token-based collection game where players aimed to acquire a specific set of tokens to match their waitlist position.
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Dynamic Elements: Introduced variable token values and rarities to add complexity and strategy.
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Community Interaction: Designed the game to encourage player interaction through trading and collaboration.
Each player must collect a combination of five tokens. The combined value of this collection should be equal (or higher) to their queue number in the waitlist. Which means if you got in early on the waitlist, you need to attain a lesser amount to reach the target amount.
These were ERC-20 tokens and were accessible using MetaMask. Each player will have a different combination of tokens to collect.
Here are some rules about these tokens:
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Value of Tokens: The in-game dollar value of each token will be subject to arbitrary changes.
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Rarity of Tokens: Some tokens are rarer than others. This rarity will be a dynamic factor and be subject to arbitrary changes.
Interface Design
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Developed a visually appealing and engaging interface that aligned with the ClayStack brand.
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Ensured clear information hierarchy and intuitive controls.
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Designed a responsive interface for various screen sizes.
Design System
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Created a consistent design system to maintain visual harmony and efficiency.
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Established style guidelines for typography, color palette, and component library.
Solution & Implementation
ClayStack Malawi was implemented as a web-based game accessible through MetaMask. Key features included:
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Personalized Dashboard: Displayed each player's unique token collection goal.
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Token Collection Mechanics: Offered regular token packages and a trading system within the community.
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Progress Tracking: Visualized player progress towards their goal.
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Clear Instructions and Tutorials: Guided players through the game mechanics.
Let’s break down the basics of the game into 3 phases.
Step 1: Access the Game
Access the game through MetaMask. Once you have connected your wallet, you will be able to see your custom dashboard. You will have to collect the combination of tokens that are listed on the dashboard. Remember that this combination will be different for each user.
Keep collecting these tokens until the combined dollar value of all the tokens is equal to your queue number in the waitlist.
Step 2: Collect Tokens
You can collect a package of randomly generated tokens every 2–4 hours. This package will contain different tokens. If it contains the tokens you need, then they will be added to your combination. They will help increase the combined value of your tokens bringing you closer to your target amount.
If not, then you will find them under the “All Tokens” section.
Now, if you don’t get the tokens you need from the package, then simply ask for people on Discord and Telegram to make a fair trade.
Let’s take an example to understand this better.
Suppose you have 10 Malawi tokens and 15 Onega tokens. But you only need 10 Onega tokens but 15 Malawi tokens.
A fellow user has 15 Malawi tokens but only needs 10 Onega tokens. And they need only 10 Malawi tokens but 15 Onega tokens.
In this scenario, you will make a trade (if it’s fair given the dollar price of the tokens) of 5 Malawi vs 5 Onega tokens.
Step 3: Finish the Game
When you have collected all five tokens to match the combined value with your position on the waitlist, you can finish the game. This led the user to gain access to ClayStack Malawi Testnet.
Once the user finishes the game, the combination of their tokens will be burned. They could still keep the other tokens to share them amongst the community.
Results and Impact
The gamification strategy proved highly successful:
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Increased User Acquisition: Onboarded over 15,000 new users.
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Boosted Community Engagement: Discord engagement grew by 98%.
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Positive User Feedback: Received overwhelmingly positive responses to the game's mechanics and design.
Lessons Learned
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Gamification can be a powerful tool for user engagement and community building.
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Clear communication of game rules is essential for player satisfaction.