Similarly to "Death by PowerPoint," you'd want to avoid “Death by Badges” - making a badge too easy to earn so that your learners don't care about them. The idea of badges goes back in history when these were received for outstanding military achievements, like saving your fellow soldier on a battlefield or for significant battle gains. Similarly, in your learning app, you need to make sure your badges are meaningful and symbolize achievement and that your learner knows they need to put the effort in. This way they’ll be proud to have them in their badge cabinet.
Naming your badges is another critical element of your gamification campaign. You'd want to ensure the titles tally with your business mission. Typical names for e-learning badges would be:
‘People's person’ - posted more than 100 comments
‘Globe Trotter’ - joined over 20 groups
‘Crazy Scientist’ - completed three courses
‘Fast learner’ - the first to complete the course
Another great UX trick is hiding the badge's picture before it is earned. This way, apart from the sense of accomplishment, you will also evoke a sense of curiosity and give more reasons for your learners to want to earn that badge.
Make sure to spend sufficient time and effort thinking through your badging system because if done incorrectly, it can cause your learners to devalue the entire experience and distrust your intentions as a learning app owner.
