How I Approached the Brief

BRIEF & GOAL

BuddyKu wanted to increase user engagement with its coin reward system. Previously, the system asked users to read the same article for several consecutive days, which often felt repetitive and uninspiring. The goal was to design a new feature that not only motivates users to come back every day but also makes the reward journey more exciting, clear, and enjoyable.

CHALLENGE

The reward system lacked visibility and was often overlooked.

Users quickly lost interest when asked to complete the same repetitive task every day.
There was no clear or timely reminder to encourage users to return consistently.

DESIGN APPROACH & PROCESS

To address these issues, I studied gamification patterns from other popular apps and proposed a new mission-based feature called “Treasure Hunt.” The focus was on creating a visually engaging and rewarding experience that motivates users, even when the underlying tasks are simple and repetitive.

I mapped the user journey to clarify how users would interact with the feature. The flowchart below illustrates the complete path from landing on the homepage to receiving rewards:

User starts from the homepage and navigates to an article.
If logged in, they can immediately participate and earn rewards.
If not logged in, a tooltip encourages sign-up before proceeding.
Once the article is read, a success tooltip appears and redirects the user to the rewards page.
Rewards are tracked in the Treasure Hunt detail page, reinforcing motivation to return the next day.

FLOWCHART

FLOATING BUTTON

A dynamic button that stays visible on the homepage, making the feature easy to spot and access anytime.

PROFILE HIGHLIGHT

Treasure Hunt is also highlighted on the profile page, ensuring users can track progress and re-engage from multiple entry points.

TREASURE HUNT DETAIL PAGE

Provides clear instructions, daily task list, rewards information, and countdown timer to keep users on track.

PROGRESS BAR

Visual tracker showing how far users have advanced, motivating them to complete all tasks before the event ends.

NOTIFICATION

Sends reminders to users so they don’t miss daily missions.

DESIGN-SIDE OUTCOME

Helped the team see patterns in how users interact (e.g., which areas were easy to find, and which ones caused friction).

Validated that a game-like reward format can boost motivation to explore.
Sparked new ideas for future gamification opportunities.