Want To Be The Best Gaming Portal? Get To Know Your Players!

It’s sunday and the first time to really sit down and relax after a busy week.

This week I’ve been doing a breakfast seminar together with a colleague at inUse on the topic ”The three most common mistakes when you are buying an off the shelf system!” We visited Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmoe on our little tour.

We talked about how important it is to know what effects the new system should bring to your organization and to know your target groups. Get to know the users of the system. Because if no one use the system the investment is a rally bad one. The best system is the one that brings the most effects to your organization and is used by your intended target groups.

It hit me on my way back from Stockholm that the same thing goes for the gaming industry.

How can you design a portal if you don’t know your target groups? You need to know what they need and want to be able to achieve!

Too often projects start without knowing what kind of effect it should bring and without putting down measuring points. Without measuring points it is impossible to find out if the project was successful or not.

It is very rare that you do any target group analysis before as well. How can you design something when you don’t know the needs and wishes from your target groups?

Image 1. Effect Map

At inUse we have a method called ”Effect Mapping” (see image 1) which addresses these issues and help you design products and services that will be successful for your business.

With the ”Effect Map” you also need to prioritize your target groups, usage goals and actions. Not everything is important, instead the target group that brings most effect to achieving your objectives is the most important one.

Gaming companies should invest a little more time and money (take a small amount from the marketing budget) into getting more knowledge about their target groups.

Knowledge about your players will make you powerful and a winner in the long run!

/Staffan

Ps. Send me an e-mail if you want to know more about effect mapping. Ds.