Gamification and Vail's Epic App

I recently spent the weekend skiing in Breckenridge, CO (now owned by Vail Resorts Management Company).  Vail recently rolled out a mobile app for their ski resorts utilizing their EpicMix platform.  The features of the app are awesome and many of the concepts can be applied to any business' app.

The overarching goal of the app is to track a skiers stats on the slope.  Equipped with an RFID-powered lift ticket, a check-in is sent to EpicMix's servers every time a user gets on a ski lift (similar to how a runner's position/time is tracked with racing chips).  This allows a user to view stats on their day like how many vertical feet they've skied, which lifts they've ridden, etc.  The app also allows you to connect with "friends" so you can track their progress as well (including being able to see where they are on the mountain, a great feature for finding lost friends).

The data in itself is valuable, but how Vail's using the data is really compelling. Vail has introduced "gamification" concepts in their app.  Based on activity users can achieve virtual "pins" or awards.  Everything from visiting different places on the mountain, to climbing over 10,000 vertical feet, to riding the same lift 3 times in a row. You can see what pins you have earned (and have yet to earn), giving the skier some goals to set for themselves.  Pins can be automatically shared on Facebook and Twitter feeds as well, promoting their achievement (and arguably, the resort). Since skiers can connect with friends, a competitive element comes into the app.  A user can see their friends' activities and pins and track friends' progress against their own.  And guess what?  Skiers are competitive.

I asked some locals about their thoughts on the app and a couple things became clear.  1)  In many cases, locals were consciously choosing to go to one of the Vail resorts over competing mountains so they could up their "stats" and ensure bragging rights over their friends.  2) Skiers using the app were spending more time on the mountain, padding their stats, going after different pins and arguably, spending more money at break/lunch spots.

The engagement of this platform/app was massive.  Signs were everywhere telling people to download the app and check their progress.  As an end-user, this was one of the best implementations of mobile I have seen.  It genuinely changed our weekend for the better and made it more fun.  My family and I set goals every day to break the stats we set the day before.  We skied more than we ever had on a trip, and we constantly checked the app for our progress.

Gamification is an incredibly powerful concept.  Whether you set up models for users to compete against friends or themselves; by setting goals for achieving virtual or real world awards, a gamification model can significantly increase user engagement.  Membership rewards programs have proven this for decades, but mobile makes it possible for data collection to become more passive.  Gamification allows your rewards to become less about transactions and more about activity.   It creates a stickiness in your app and more importantly, to your brand.

What gamification concepts could be introduced in your favorite mobile apps to further engage users and provide a more fun and compelling experience?