When Wordle launched in October 2021, thousands of people across the world were consumed in getting the best results against their friends, family and colleagues. It became a global addiction with people sharing their daily results across social media, WhatsApp groups and in work email chains. It provided a fun, competitive and engaging way to start conversations and converse with those in our inner circles that we might not usually engage with every day.
The game itself is very simple and isn’t visually fancy or incredibly time-consuming (it probably only takes about 5-10 minutes a day to complete). You simply need to guess one 5-letter word in 6 guesses and there’s one new puzzle 7 days a week. The aim is to guess the word in as few guesses as possible (2 or 3 is good). And if you get it in 5 or 6, your streak is ruined and it’s less exciting to share your results with everyone (insert the face-palm emoji).
The power of the streak: It keeps people coming back for more
New York Times said recently (March 2024), on the 1000 day of Wordle: ‘Since Josh Wardle released Wordle to the public in October 2021, it has evolved into more than just a game—it’s a daily ritual, a communal challenge and a source of endless conversation for millions of solvers around the world.’
And this obsession with the steak isn’t just a one-off cultural phenomenon. We have seen the rise of the ‘streak’ (the number of days in a row you have completed something) in popular apps like Duolingo, Insight Time and Headspace. These apps reward you for learning regularly and encourage you to be consistent and practice frequently. Even apps like Strava (originally built for cyclists, and now used to track runs, walks and various other forms of workout!) encourage you to share your activities with a wide community and reward streak-like behaviour.
And you can even purchase a streak freeze if you need to skip a day!
And if you’re cool (young) enough to know about the world of Snapchat, you’ll know that they have coined their own term for a streak; the ‘Snapstreak’. The Snapstreak tracks how many days in a row you and a friend have sent Snaps to each other. Apparently, keeping up a Snapchat Streak gives you extra points for your Snapchat score. Who’d have thought?
It’s clear to see that the streak, in whatever way it presents itself, is here to stay.
So, why are streaks so successful in a learning context?
Simply put, streaks are created to encourage repeat activity – they encourage you to create and sustain a new habit. They help you to embrace the consistency of learning. And you’re rewarded by improving yourself in a set area and/or by successfully adopting regular desired behaviour.
So, how do streaks work?
Streaks work because they effectively tap into a number of psychological drivers for behaviour. For example, loss aversion. A common gamification technique would be to start the player (learner) in a position where they have something to loose, such lives on a board, or chances. Often the fear of losing something is more motivating than the prospect of gaining something – and once you’ve built up a healthy streak this starts to come into play. In fact, the longer your streak and the more ‘valuable’ it becomes, the greater the aversion to losing it.
Also linked to game mechanics, streaks provide a visual representation of progress toward a goal, which can be a powerful motivator.
And then there are the psychological benefits linked to consistency and confidence. We have a tendency to want to be consistent with our past behaviour, values and actions – maintaining a streak can help to build a positive self-image.
Could we use the power of the streak more in learning design?
Building a new learning culture can be a real challenge. It involves developing learning habits across your entire employee base – which can be hard! People may not have the time, the headspace or the energy to engage in regular learning experiences. But, perhaps tapping into the power of the streak could help?
How can we use streaks effectively in elearning?
Streaks can be a very effective gamification tactic, but like any gamification, it needs to be designed thoughtfully. Context and audience is important. Streaks make sense where you want learners to do something consistently, but won’t work for more ad-hoc stuff.
5 streak examples to inspire you (and your learners):
- Login Streaks – logging in to your learning platform for 10 days in a row.
- Content Streaks – completing a piece of learning-related content 7 days in a row.
- Daily learning in a set period – such as microlearning tasks for compliance learning over 30 days.
- Time-sensitive internal campaigns – in the lead-up to a particular learning event, or launch of an internal programme get L&D team members to talk to at least one non-L&D colleague a day about your new learning programme
- Sales streaks – for instance, has everyone in your team used their learning in real life, e.g. engaged with a new customer every day this month?.
Are you ready to embrace the power of the streak?
There are many benefits to using streaks in your elearning or as part of a wider programme. If you’re inspired or intrigued by the power of streaks – then get in touch with our friendly team today and we can discuss your learning design needs.