Badge Focus: These are for recognition and status, not monetary value. They represent achievements and milestones.
Badges: Achievement Recognition
The Badge Difference
Simplified Badge Settings
- Auto-redeem: Always enabled (instant badge satisfaction)
- No Redemption Required: Badges are automatically awarded and displayed
- Images: Square 512×512 format for optimal display
- Expiration: Never expires (eternal bragging rights)
- Supply: Usually unlimited for broad recognition
Badge Design Philosophy
Visual Requirements
- Square Format: 512×512 images optimized for badge display
- Icon Style: Works best with symbol-based designs
- Collection View: Badges appear in user achievement galleries
Badge Hall of Fame
- Milestone Recognition: “First Challenge Complete”
- Status Symbols: “VIP Member”, “Top Contributor”
- Event Participation: “Summer Event 2024 Participant”
- Achievement Unlocks: “10 Challenges Mastered”
Badge Strategy: Unlike other rewards, badges are about recognition and status. Focus on meaningful achievements that users want to display in their profiles.
Badge Psychology
Badges tap into fundamental human motivations:- Achievement Recognition: Public acknowledgment of accomplishments
- Status Building: Visual indicators of skill or dedication
- Collection Completion: Appeals to completionist mindset
- Social Currency: Something valuable to display to peers
Badge Creation Process
1
Access Badge Creation
Dashboard → “Create Reward” → Select “Badge”
2
Design Badge Visual
Upload badge artwork using 512×512 square format
3
Configure Basic Information
Follow the same process as regular rewards, but with simplified options
4
Set Achievement Criteria
Define exactly what users must do to earn this badge (this is typically done through achievements system)
5
Configure Display Settings
Badges automatically appear in user profiles and achievement galleries
Badge Design Guidelines
Visual Requirements- Square Format: 512×512px for optimal display
- High Contrast: Readable at various sizes in user profiles
- Consistent Style: Match your community’s visual branding
- Clear Symbolism: Icon clearly relates to the achievement
- Milestone Badges: Numbers, progress bars, or level indicators
- Skill Badges: Icons representing specific competencies
- Participation Badges: Community symbols or event indicators
- Special Recognition: Unique designs for rare achievements
Badge Categories and Examples
- Progress Milestones
- Skill Recognition
- Community Participation
- Special Recognition
- Getting Started: Complete first challenge
- Rising Star: Earn 500 points
- Dedicated Member: 30-day streak
- Community Champion: 5,000 points earned
- Elite Status: Reach Level 10
Badge Economy Management
Rarity Levels Create hierarchy through scarcity:- Common: 60%+ of active users can reasonably earn
- Uncommon: 20-30% of users will achieve
- Rare: 5-10% of dedicated users earn
- Legendary: Less than 1% of users achieve exceptional recognition
- Clear Achievement Description: Users understand what badge represents
- Appropriate Difficulty: Effort required matches badge prestige
- Visual Quality: Badge design reflects achievement significance
- Community Recognition: Other users understand badge meaning
Technical Implementation
Automated Badge Awarding Most badges should award automatically based on system triggers:- Database Queries: System checks conditions periodically
- Real-Time Triggers: Badge awards immediately when conditions met
- Integration Events: Connected with achievements system for automatic awarding
- Profile Showcase: Prominent display in user profiles
- Achievement Galleries: Organized badge collections
- Social Recognition: Community-wide badge announcements
- Progress Indicators: Show progress toward unearned badges
The most valuable badges tell a story about what the user accomplished. Make sure each badge represents something genuinely meaningful to your community.
Avoid creating too many badges too quickly. Badge inflation can make achievements feel meaningless. Quality over quantity always wins.
Badge hierarchies work best when they’re intuitive. Users should be able to look at a badge and immediately understand what level of achievement it represents.