Goalspaces: Gamifying App Experience to Increase User Retention
Risqat Fijabi
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Posted Jun 28, 2025
Redesigned Goalspaces app to boost user engagement and retention through gamification and community features.
Goalspaces is a platform that makes it easy to find and collaborate with people who share the same life goals with you. With over 5,000 downloads on App store, Goalspaces is redefining the way people set and achieve their goals.
Key Result & Impact
Key Result & Impact
Retained 500+ more users over 3 months by gamifying user experience in a productivity app, saving an estimated $8,000+ in re-engagement and acquisition costs
Higher app store ratings and user feedback praising the “freshness” and “motivation boost” of the new UX
The Challenge
Low engagement. High dropout. A promising app was losing its spark.
Goalspaces, a productivity app built to help users track and achieve their goals, had a good number of downloads on both the Play Store and App Store. However, user engagement and retention were significantly low.
The goal was clear: make Goalspaces more engaging, social, and fun, without compromising its core utility.
The Process
I looked into existing user data and spoke to some users. I then uncovered a common theme — users didn’t feel sufficiently motivated or connected within the app. They set goals, but there was no continuous feedback loop or external encouragement.
After identifying this gap, I proposed a complete feature overhaul rooted in gamification and community interaction. I drew inspiration from psychology-driven design frameworks and successful habit-forming models.
The Solution
A gamified experience for users
Points System: Users earned points for completing goals or daily check-ins.
Badges: Designed different visual badges to represent milestones and achievements. The Gold Badge signified the highest loyalty level.
Stars & Monetization: Accumulated points converted into stars, which could be redeemed within the app for exclusive features.
Gamification elements
Old and new interface
Compelling Push Notifications (notifications users get outside the app) were designed to encourage users to open the app and complete pending tasks; thereby increasing user engagement and retention.
Notifications
The Solution (Increased Community Engagement)
Goalroom – Where goals meet conversations.
Goalroom, a feature inspired by platforms like Twitter Spaces and Clubhouse, was born to enable users connect, share progress, and learn from others with similar aspirations.
