Challenge Dos and Donts

The difference between challenges that crush it and ones that flop isn’t luck—it’s knowing what to do and what to avoid.

The Golden Rules

DO: Start with Behavior

Ask “What do I want users to do?” Define the behavior first. Points follow naturally.

DON'T: Start with Points

Don’t think “award 100 points” first. You’ll make arbitrary decisions that feel unfair.

DO: Keep It Short (3-5 Actions)

Each action past 5 reduces completion by 10-15%. Short challenges feel like quests.

DON'T: Build Long Checklists

8+ actions tanks completion rates. Users abandon challenges that feel like homework.

DO: Pick One Format Per Challenge

Knowledge OR Community OR Creative OR Social. One per challenge. Sequence them for variety.

DON'T: Mix All Formats

Users get confused jumping between different challenge types. Creates cognitive overload.

DO: Use the Point Formula

1 point per 5 seconds. Users intuitively feel it’s fair. Stop overthinking.

DON'T: Guess at Point Values

Random points feel arbitrary and demotivating. Inconsistency tanks future engagement.

Titles & Descriptions

DO	DON’T
”Learn Product Basics in 5 Min” — Specific, time-bounded, action-oriented	”Product Knowledge” — Generic, vague, doesn’t say what they’ll do
”Connect With 3 Members” — Clear goal, easy to understand	”Community Engagement” — What does “engagement” even mean?
”Share Your Biggest Win” — Emotional hook, personal relevance	”Share a Story” — Could be anything
Description: 1-2 punchy sentences about what they’ll do and why it matters	Description: 3+ paragraphs of backstory nobody reads

Difficulty Levels

Level	DO	DON’T
Beginner	< 5 min, no setup, immediately actionable	Label as Beginner but requires 20 min. Users feel misled
Intermediate	5-15 min, some context needed, moderate effort	Vague time estimates. Set expectations clearly
Advanced	15-30+ min, prerequisites, significant commitment	Make it harder than you say. Users lose trust

Testing & Launch

DO	DON’T
Preview as a user BEFORE launch	Skip testing because “it looks fine in the Control Room”
Complete it yourself and time it	Assume it takes less time than it actually does
Test on mobile	Launch and hope it works on phones
Verify rewards actually award	Find out after launch that points weren’t given
Monitor the first 24-48 hours	Set it and forget it for a week
Edit if drop-off is >50% at one action	Ignore high drop-off rates and blame users

Rewards Strategy

DO	DON’T
Mix types: Points + XP + Badges works	Just Points: Boring, no sense of achievement
Overdeliver on first challenge: Hook them early	Underdeliver: Cheap rewards kill motivation
Match reward to effort: 5 min = 50-75 pts	Reward for free: Make it feel valueless
Add XP if you have leveling: Feeds progression	Forget progression: Points only feel empty
Use Badges for milestones: “First 100 Points” hits different	No recognition: Users don’t feel their wins

Timing & Scheduling

DO	DON’T
Set end dates for urgency: 7-14 day windows work	Evergreen everything: No sense of scarcity or urgency
Schedule for campaigns: Announce, then go live	Go live immediately: No anticipation or buildup
Allow repeats strategically: Daily challenges keep users coming back	Allow unlimited repeats: Becomes grinding, feels empty
Cap completions per period: 1/day feels like a routine	Unlimited completions: Users farm it, then abandon

After Launch: Iteration

DO	DON’T
Check analytics day 1-2	Wait a month to review performance
Edit unclear instructions	Leave confusing copy because “users should understand”
Simplify actions if drop-off is high	Blame users for not trying hard enough
Ask users what they loved	Assume you know what worked
Iterate based on real feedback	Never update—set it once and ignore it
Kill challenges that don’t work	Keep launching bad challenges and wondering why

Pro Tip: The Sequence Strategy

Instead of one mega-challenge:

Create 3-4 related challenges, each focused on one format
Space them a few days apart for sustained engagement
Build on each other: “Learn” → “Teach” → “Create” → “Share”
Same reward formula per challenge so it feels fair

This creates a journey, not a checklist. Users complete sequences. They abandon single long challenges.

Quick Checklist Before Launch

Behavior defined clearly

Can you answer “What do I want users to do?” in one sentence?

3-5 actions max

Count your actions. Is it 5 or fewer?

One format picked

Knowledge, Community, Creative, or Social—just one?

Points calculated

Did you use the 1 point per 5 seconds formula?

Title is action-oriented

Does your title answer “What will I do?”

Tested on mobile

You actually opened it on a phone, right?

Rewards verified

Completed it yourself and confirmed points/badges awarded?

Ready to monitor

Do you have time to check analytics in the first 24-48 hours?

Next Steps

Challenge Creation Guide — Step-by-step walkthrough
Analytics — Measure performance and iterate
Management — Pause, archive, and optimize active challenges

Getting Started

Dashboard & People

Ways to Engage

Games & Progression

Organization Settings

Recipes

The Golden Rules

DO: Start with Behavior

DON'T: Start with Points

DO: Keep It Short (3-5 Actions)

DON'T: Build Long Checklists

DO: Pick One Format Per Challenge

DON'T: Mix All Formats

DO: Use the Point Formula

DON'T: Guess at Point Values

Titles & Descriptions

Difficulty Levels

Testing & Launch

Rewards Strategy

Timing & Scheduling

After Launch: Iteration

Pro Tip: The Sequence Strategy

Quick Checklist Before Launch

Next Steps

​The Golden Rules

DO: Start with Behavior

DON'T: Start with Points

DO: Keep It Short (3-5 Actions)

DON'T: Build Long Checklists

DO: Pick One Format Per Challenge

DON'T: Mix All Formats

DO: Use the Point Formula

DON'T: Guess at Point Values

​Titles & Descriptions

​Difficulty Levels

​Testing & Launch

​Rewards Strategy

​Timing & Scheduling

​After Launch: Iteration

​Pro Tip: The Sequence Strategy

​Quick Checklist Before Launch

​Next Steps

The Golden Rules

Titles & Descriptions

Difficulty Levels

Testing & Launch

Rewards Strategy

Timing & Scheduling

After Launch: Iteration

Pro Tip: The Sequence Strategy

Quick Checklist Before Launch

Next Steps