Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards

by Yu-kai Chou

Another example that builds on the same principle is the General Mills brand Betty Crocker cake mixes. When it first launched many decades ago, it was designed to be the easiest cake mix for stay-at-home-moms to make, where they just have to add water to the powdered mix and then stick it into the oven for delicious cakes to come out. Unfortunately, sales were fairly stagnant and the company eventually hired business psychologists to help determine why. One of the hypotheses was that the cake mixes were so easy to make, customers didn’t feel they were actually baking, and therefore did not have a sense of accomplishment or competence. Based on this concept, instead of making the process easier by removing steps, General Mills decided to add additional steps to the process. They decided to remove the conveniently powdered eggs from their Betty Crocker cake mixes and required the bakers to add in their own fresh eggs before putting them into the oven. To many’s surprise, the product immediately became a breakout success. By adding that extra step of throwing in an egg yourself, people felt that they were actually baking a delicious dessert to compliment a meal.