Have you noticed that more and more websites are using game mechanics to create more enjoyable experiences? Principles of game design can serve UX designers today more than ever, because - 1 - brands realize the importance of interacting with users and keep them engaged and - 2- current web technologies allow developers build interfaces that support rich interaction scenarios in real time. Game mechanics will rock the web. In this article we share the best examples of how currently popular websites use game mechanics to attract new users and add them to their fan base.

Building engaging interfaces is not easy. The list of priorities starts with usability issues and finishes with the difficulties of creating an experience through form and functionality.

Over the past few years a new challenge sprung from the maturation of tools and apps that enable sharing, user feedback and other forms of mediated interaction - generally called "social media". Integrating social media in websites was similar to introducing casual Fridays in the corporate world: steering up controversy first, but ending up doing business in jeans. Today, social interaction is amplified (viral and mass communication) as well as simplified (reduced to simple auto-fill share buttons), but this type of solution is not always the best in using technology to encourage authentic interaction and engagement.

This post presents multiple solutions to effectively use social expression in ways that are mutually beneficial, engaging and genuine.