Gamification Service

Engagement platform with points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards to motivate learners

Requirements Document

Comprehensive requirements for the Gamification Service in the KnowledgeTracker Platform.

1. Functional Requirements

1.1 Points System

  • Earn points for completing lessons, assessments, and activities
  • Configurable point values per action type
  • Bonus multipliers for streaks and consistency
  • Point history and transaction logs
  • Point expiration and decay mechanisms

1.2 Badges & Achievements

  • Create and award badges for specific achievements
  • Multiple badge tiers (bronze, silver, gold, platinum)
  • Automatic badge unlocking based on criteria
  • Rare and limited-edition badges for special events
  • Badge showcase on learner profiles

1.3 Leaderboards

  • Global, course-specific, and organization leaderboards
  • Time-based leaderboards (daily, weekly, monthly, all-time)
  • Multiple ranking criteria (points, completion rate, accuracy)
  • Opt-in/opt-out for learner privacy
  • Friend leaderboards for peer comparison

1.4 Levels & Progression

  • Level system with experience points (XP)
  • Progressive XP requirements for higher levels
  • Level-up celebrations and notifications
  • Unlock features or content at specific levels
  • Visual progression bars and status indicators

1.5 Challenges & Quests

  • Create time-bound challenges for learners
  • Daily, weekly, and monthly challenge rotations
  • Quest chains with multiple sequential tasks
  • Special rewards for challenge completion
  • Team-based challenges and competitions

1.6 Rewards & Incentives

  • Virtual currency for redeeming rewards
  • Reward marketplace with course discounts, swag, gift cards
  • Unlock premium content or features with points
  • Charitable donations with earned points

1.7 Streaks & Habits

  • Daily learning streak tracking
  • Streak freeze and streak protection features
  • Milestone celebrations for long streaks
  • Habit formation reminders and nudges

2. Non-Functional Requirements

2.1 Performance

  • Real-time point updates and badge unlocks
  • Leaderboard refresh time < 2 seconds
  • Efficient caching for leaderboard queries

2.2 Scalability

  • Support for millions of learners and point transactions
  • Distributed leaderboard calculations
  • Asynchronous badge evaluation and awarding

2.3 Fairness & Balance

  • Anti-gaming mechanisms to prevent exploitation
  • Rate limiting on point-earning actions
  • Fraud detection for suspicious activities

2.4 Engagement

  • Personalized challenges based on learner behavior
  • Surprise rewards and random bonuses
  • Social features for sharing achievements

3. Integration Requirements

3.1 Internal Microservices

  • Progress Tracking: Completion events for point awards
  • Assessment Engine: Score-based achievements
  • Discussion Forum: Points for contributions
  • Notification Service: Achievement notifications

Requirements Validation

Use this requirements document alongside the Database Design to validate:

  • Point transaction tracking and audit trails
  • Badge definition and earning criteria storage
  • Leaderboard ranking calculation efficiency
  • Challenge and quest progress tracking