What it is and what it's for#
Points are the currency of the programme: they are earned by taking part and spent in the store. Badges recognise milestones at no cost to anyone. Streaks reward consistency, not volume.
All three are configured per project and are independent: you can have points without badges, or badges without a store.
How to set it up#
Where points come from#
Every movement is recorded with its source. These are the sources:
| Source | When it adds | Where it is configured |
|---|---|---|
| Challenges | On completing (or on approval of) a challenge. | On each challenge. See Journeys and challenges. |
| Log-in | On opening the app. It rewards the habit. | On the company. |
| Sign-up | Once only, on registering. | On the company. |
| Surveys | On completing a survey. | On each survey. |
| Recognition | On receiving points from a colleague. | See Peer recognition. |
| Streaks | On meeting the target for the period. | In the streak settings. |
| Redemptions | They subtract when spending in the store. | See Store and redemptions. |
Points earned and balance are two different things. The ranking uses points earned (the historical total); the store uses the balance (what is left after redeeming). Spending in the store never moves anyone down the ranking.
Badges#
A badge is awarded on its own, as soon as the person crosses a threshold. There is no need to grant it by hand.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name and description | What the person sees when they get it. In each active language. |
| Image | The medal. It is shown on their profile. |
| Challenge threshold | The number of completed challenges required. |
| Points threshold | The number of points earned required. |
| Order | The sequence they are presented in. Use it so that they read from smallest to largest achievement. |
A scale that works well: three or four badges for completed challenges to accompany the route from the start, and two for accumulated points as long-term goals.
Streaks#
A streak measures consecutive periods with enough activity. It is configured once per project:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Active | Switches the project's streaks on or off. |
| Period | The unit that is counted: weekly is the usual choice. |
| Target for the period | How many challenges have to be completed in the period for it to count. |
| Bonus points | What whoever meets the period gets. |
Example: weekly period, target 3, bonus 25. Anyone who completes 3 challenges in a week gets 25 extra points and keeps their streak alive.
What the employee sees#
- Their balance and their points earned, with the detail of each movement and where it came from.
- The badges they have got and the next ones to get, with what they are short of.
- Their current streak: how many periods they have strung together and what they are short of this week.
- The project ranking and their tribe's.
Frequently asked questions#
How many points should a challenge be worth?
What matters is the proportion, not the figure. A scale that works: 10 points for something that takes a minute, 25-50 for something that takes real effort, 100 or more for milestones. Set the store prices first and work backwards to how many weeks of participation each reward costs.
Can I award points by hand?
Points are generated by participation. If you need to recognise something outside the programme, the natural way is to do it with a peer recognition or by creating a specific challenge.
If I change the value of a challenge, are the points already given recalculated?
No. What has already been credited is not touched; the change only affects whoever completes it afterwards.
Can a badge be lost?
No. Once it has been got, it stays.
What happens to the streak of someone who is on holiday?
It breaks, like any other period with no activity. If that is a problem in your organisation, move the period up to monthly or lower the target.
Limits and warnings#
- Changing a badge's thresholds takes effect from that moment on. Lowering them will mean a lot of people get it all at once; raising them does not take it away from anyone who already has it.
- Log-in points are configured for the whole company, not per project.
- A challenge pending approval has not given points yet. If a manager is slow, the person sees the challenge done but not the balance, and it is a common reason for complaints.
- Streaks need there to be challenges available in every period. In a short journey, or one that has already finished, people lose the streak with no way of avoiding it.
- Raise the store prices before you raise the points on challenges. Inflating points leaves the rewards being given away, and there is no clean way of withdrawing a balance that has already been earned.