How to develop an educational app that engages users? What features will make it attractive and capable of achieving high user retention? The key is that your app should be useful, fast, and intuitively simple. But most importantly, it should be gamified!

Read our guide to discover which game tools to include to make your app stand out in the market.

We are RewiSoft, a software development team with a design-centric approach. We specialize in developing market-competitive web platforms and apps. Based on our industry knowledge, we’re here to share our expertise with you.

Educational App vs Gamified Education App

Let’s compare the cases of learning with and without gamified elements! Read two cases, and you will see the difference:

Case 1: A Traditional Education App

A student uses a standard education app to prepare for an upcoming exam.
The App provides access to textbooks, practice problems, and examples. The student reviews the materials and answers the questions, receiving feedback at the end of each section.

The 1st Problem is Weak Engagement

The student completes the tasks, but the App feels more like a digital textbook, with little interaction beyond answering questions.

The 2nd Problem is a Lack of Motivation

Progress is often self-driven, and the student must stay motivated to continue without external rewards.

Conclusion

The Education App is still a great tool. Students gain knowledge at their own pace but may lose interest due to the lack of engaging elements and much slower progress.

Case 2: A Gamified Education App

The same student is using a gamified education app to prepare for the same exam.
In this case, the student also has practice problems, textbooks, and examples. However, the App also includes gamification tools such as badges, levels, rewards, etc. The student earns points with each correct answer, unlocking new levels after mastering each new topic.

The 1st Benefit is High Engagement

The student stays engaged because the App makes learning feel more like a game, with rewards and challenges that make each step more fun.

The 2nd Benefit is Strong Student Motivation

As the student advances, he feels a sense of accomplishment from earning points and unlocking rewards. It boosts his motivation to continue learning and reach higher levels.

Conclusion

The student remains motivated throughout the study process, leading to faster progress and better retention of knowledge.

Summary

Both types of education apps have their strengths. Traditional apps provide straightforward learning experiences, which can be helpful for students; however, the process is often more tedious compared to gamified apps. Gamified apps lead to: longer customer value in your App (CLV); better student engagement; higher motivation; more frequent full lesson completion.

14 Must-Have Gamification Tools for Educational Apps

How can you transform your educational App with gamification? The right gamification features is exactly what you need!
We’ve compiled a list of the top 14 gamification tools (gamification features) that can motivate students. Let’s dive deeper into each one and explore how they can make your App more interactive and engaging!

1. Detailed Analytics Dashboard

A detailed dashboard feature offers a comprehensive view of educational progress using various metrics. At RewiSoft, before developing the Dashboard, we identify the most crucial learning data points to display in the Dashboard.

Why is a Detailed Dashboard Important?
A detailed dashboard is vital because it provides real-time insights into student performance, engagement, and learning outcomes.
It helps educators monitor students progress, identify areas needing improvement, and make data-driven decisions.

2. Points System 

A points system is a gamification element that rewards users for completing tasks/exercises within an App. Each time users achieve a goal, they earn points. These points accumulate over time and are exchanged for rewards, new levels, etc.

How does the points system work?
Users can receive points when completing lessons, quizzes, or learning modules. These points could unlock badges, levels, or even certificates. Users can see their points in a personal dashboard, which encourages them to be more engaged and develops critical thinking skills.

Why is it beneficial for users?

• The points system boosts user motivation
• Users achieve immediate feedback and a sense of accomplishment
• It creates a sense of progress and achievement
• It adds a competitive edge, where users can compare their points.

3. Levels to Engage Students

Levels is the gamification tool that motivates users like nothing else! The levels progress tool shows the stage of process: when users complete assignments, they reach a higher level.

How does the level system work?
Users start at a basic level. When they progress in their studies, they unlock the next higher level.
Each new level is usually more challenging than the previous one, so learning progresses step by step.
When users reach a new level, they feel a greater sense of achievement and are motivated to continue learning.

Why is it beneficial for users?

• Users can see the overall progress
• Users can compare themself with others
• After completing each new level, it gives a sense of accomplishment that motivates students, too!

4. Quizzes to Motivate Students

The Quiz allows users to test their knowledge of the materials they have studied. Interactive quizzes consist of different students answer questions like multiple choice, true/false, short answer, etc.

How it works?
We integrate game quizzes at the end of lessons or modules to assess user understanding.
After users complete the Quiz, they receive instant feedback after answering. If users pass the Quiz badly, they can retake tests or review their incorrect answers to improve their knowledge.

Why is it beneficial for users?

• Quizzes help users review what they’ve learned in a fast and structured way
• Users receive real-time feedback that helps them understand their progress
• After the successful completion of the Quiz, users can receive points and other rewarding elements that motivate them to stay engaged
• Quizzes allow users to track their progress by seeing how well they are learning the material over time.

5. Inactivity Lock

The Inactivity Lock feature is a tool that temporarily stops or penalizes a user’s progress when they become inactive for a certain period.
For example, the Duolingo app uses this strategy. If you stop regular lessons, your streak breaks, and your progress can freeze, requiring you to restart or pay to unlock access or wait to access advanced content.

Why is it beneficial for users?

• This tool helps users maintain regular engagement with the App and discourages them from falling behind. Once the profile is locked or “frozen,” users may need to either wait for a certain time period or complete specific tasks to resume progress.
• The fear of losing progress is a powerful motivator. Users feel a sense of commitment to maintaining their learning streak, and the prospect of being penalized drives them to stay engaged.

6. Achievements & Badgets

Achievements and Badges are virtual awards that students can achieve for completing lessons, courses, etc.
The badge feature is a popular way to reward students for achieving goals, completing tasks, or other assignments. It gives users a sense of progress and achievement, like earning a trophy or certificate.

How does it work?
When a user completes tasks, levels, or challenges, he earns badges. Each badge represents a different achievement, and users can view their earned badges on a personal dashboard. You can categorize badges by difficulty, rarity, or subject area.
If your App is integrated with social media, users can also share badges on their social media.

Why is it beneficial for users?

• Earning badges encourages students to reach the next goal or level
• Badges visually represent achievements. Students can easily see their progress over time
• Badges help students feel recognized for their efforts.

7. Scale Rating Feature 

Rating Feature lets users rate their experiences, performance, or understanding of the material. Scale ratings can be integrated at the end of lessons, quizzes, or assignments, allowing students to rate how well they understood the material or how difficult they found the task.
For example, after completing a lesson, a student might be asked to rate their understanding on a scale from 1 to 10, etc.
This feature is especially beneficial for teachers, as it allows them to view the data and assess whether the training material is performing well or needs improvement.

Looking for More Features with Game Elements?

We’ve provided a detailed breakdown of the gamification tools most popular with our clients. However, there are many other great features and educational games you can consider developing:

8. Video Lessons

This feature lets you upload interactive video lessons. It can be personal videos or videos from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.

9. Zoom & Google Classroom Integration

Such an integration allows you to host interactive lessons with live video directly within the App.

10. Surveys Feature

After completing a lesson, the users can provide feedback on their learning experience.
Surveys help improve training materials & also keep users engaged by letting them share their thoughts and opinions.

11. Teamwork Feature

The teamwork feature allows students to earn or lose points based on their compliance with classroom rules and collaboration with others.
For instance, students who assist their peers with homework can gain points. Students who break the rules may result in point deductions.

12. Learning Process Feature

The learning process visually track a student’s progress through lessons or tasks. It shows how much they’ve completed and how much is left.
It gives users a clear sense of what they have done and how much is left.

13. Streaks Feature

Streaks turn learning into a habit by rewarding consistency.
This game mechanic tracks how many days or sessions a user completes without a break. The longer the streak, the more motivated users become to maintain their momentum and progress.

14. Leaderboard Feature

The leaderboard feature adds a competitive element by ranking users based on performance. It shows how users compare to others, motivating them to improve and maintain their position. The higher they rank, the more driven they are to keep progressing.

How to Implement Gamification Apps for Education?

You already know the key gamification tools that make educational apps more effective. Now it’s time to move on to development stage.
There are two main options for developing an educational app with gamified tools:

• Outsource to a company where you’ll get end-to-end development
• Use an in-house development team

Both options are good and have their merits, depending on your business needs. While we won’t focus on in-house development, as it’s not our area of expertise, we will provide you with the steps of how the development process works in our team.
We are a software development company creating various apps and websites since 2019. Educational technology is our primary sector, and we have strong expertise in building these solutions.

Development and Feature Integration Process at RewiSoft

1st Step: Business Analysis

We conduct a deep business analysis to define your business goals, target audience, and specific requirements for the app.
After we have a clear understanding of which gamification tools will solve your business goals and how they should function, we move to the next stage.

2nd Step: Project Planning & Strategy

At this stage we develop a roadmap for the project, setting timelines, budget, and resources.
After we have developed a structured development plan with all the gamification tools prioritization, we start the design stage.

3rd Step: UI/UX Design Stage

Our design team create a user-friendly interfaces that integrate your selected features and gamification tools. Check out our works to see how we have designed and developed features such as quizzes, badges, or progress bars.

4th Step: Technical Documentation

We create detailed technical documentation outlining the app’s architecture, feature functionality, and integration needs.

5th Step: App Development

After design is ready we start Begin coding the app, focusing on core functionality and integrating the key features.
To make the timeline more optimizes, we do design and development stage at the same time, where its possible.

6th Step: QA & Testing

Next important stage is testing to ensure the app and its features work flawlessly across different devices and operating systems.

7th Deployment & Integration

We deploy the fully functional app and integrate gamified features you need.

8th Post-Launch Support & Updates

We Monitor the app’s performance, fix any issues. For the first month after launch, we offer free support.
We also offer ongoing app support to ensure long-term success and user satisfaction.

These stages cover everything from planning to post-launch support. ensuring your app is fully developed with all the essential features that make learning engaging and effective.

How Much Does it Cost to Build Educational App?

At RewiSoft, we offer flexible pricing options based on the type of solution you’re looking for.

• Mobile App – Prices start at $30,000

• Web Platform – Prices start at $30,000

• MVP – Prices start at $25,000

For applications with more advanced features, the cost may be higher. The final price will be determined after a meeting where we discuss your project goals, complexity, and specific requirements.
You can trust us to develop your app and receive custom solutions with any feature set you want. Book a free consultation with our experts, and let’s create great solutions together!