To provide more lawyer/doctor answers, we applied some gamification techniques to reward participation. Professionals could earn points for taking certain actions on Avvo, and those who participated the most would get more exposure on the site and move up a leaderboard.
User research discovered a variety of motivations for users. Some participated for fun, others for continuing education, or simply to get more business. The product team came up with a series of events that would reward the lawyer with points and a badge. The more you participate, the more points you earn which increases your exposure and position on the leader board.
Communicating “how it works” within the UI was overwhelming, so we attempted a “learned behavior” approach. As the lawyer used the product, they would discover how to earn points, how much and where they were on the weekly leader board. Early testing allowed us to avoid some pitfalls and simplify the product.
After releasing we saw an increase in the lawyer answer rate and more answers per lawyer.