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Achievements

Achievements are unlocked by performing one or more repetitions of one or more behaviours. You can use them to create checklists for users to complete, reward singular accomplishments, or create sequences of achievements based on progressive numbers of repetitions.

A great example of achievements in action is LinkedIn's checklist to complete your profile when you first sign up.

How achievements work​

Achievements track users' progress towards completing specified behaviours. Once all required behaviours have been performed the required number of times, the achievement is unlocked and any associated rewards are granted to the user.

Examples of achievement usage​

Onboarding completion​

Track and reward users for completing essential onboarding steps:

Complete the application onboarding

  • Complete profile details (x1)
  • Upload profile picture (x1)
  • Verify email and phone (x1)
  • Create your first task (x1)

Social engagement​

Encourage community participation:

Be a social creature

  • Refer friends (x10)
  • Follow friends (x20)
  • Post on your feed (x10)

Training and learning progression​

Track completion of training or learning activities:

Complete the security training

  • Complete security training (x1)

Complete your first course

  • Complete a course (x1)

Complete your fifth course

  • Complete a course (x5)

Complete your tenth course

  • Complete a course (x10)

Configuration fields​

When setting up achievements, pay particular attention to these important fields:

Achievement behaviours​

Define which behaviours the user must perform and how many times each behaviour must be completed to unlock the achievement. You can require multiple behaviours for a single achievement.

Availability - Expiration​

The platform offers two distinct expiration models for achievements:

Period-Based Expiration (A Period of Time After Being Earned)​

  • Achievements expire after a defined time period following their unlock
  • The countdown timer starts when the user unlocks the achievement
  • Once the time period expires, the achievement's progress is reset and can be unlocked once again
  • Cannot be used with multi-unlock functionality

Fixed Interval Expiration (At Fixed Time Intervals)​

  • Achievements expire at predetermined time cycles regardless of when they're earned
  • At the end of each interval, all progress resets to zero for all users
  • If achievement was unlocked during the period, the achievement's progress is reset and can be unlocked once again
  • If achievement was not unlocked: any partial progress is cleared
  • With multi-unlock enabled: users can earn the same achievement multiple times within one period, but everything still resets when the interval expires
  • All users start fresh at the beginning of each new cycle

Example​

If an achievement with weekly expiration requires 3 login behaviours per week:

  • User completes 3 logins in week 1: Achievement earned, but will reset at the start of week 2
  • User completes only 2 logins in week 1: Progress carries over, so only 1 more login is needed in week 2 to earn the achievement

Best practices​

  • Create a clear progression path with achievements that build upon each other
  • Use achievements to guide users through important features of your application
  • Keep achievement requirements clear and attainable
  • Consider using achievements as milestones in a larger gamification strategy