Craft · 9 min
Eight mechanics for brands that don't sell games
Baskets, sliders, matches, reveals. Each one maps to a decision the customer already makes, and each one tells you something when they make it.
The hard part of a non-gaming playable is not the code. It is choosing a mechanic that is both immediately legible and genuinely about the product. These eight cover most briefs we see.
1. Build the basket
Pick items under a budget, reveal a bundle price on the end card. Retail and grocery. Tells you which products pull people in.
2. Move the slider
Drag an amount or a term, watch the outcome update. Fintech, insurance, subscriptions. Tells you the amount the audience is actually thinking about.
3. Catch the offers
Ten to fifteen seconds of collecting falling items. Delivery and rewards. High completion, very legible, good for cold audiences.
4. Scratch and reveal
A reward hidden under a surface. Loyalty and promotions. The shortest possible path to a redeemable end card.
5. Choose and match
Two taps of preference, one matched result. Travel, plans, product finders. The choice data is the point; the match is the payoff.
6. Perfect timing
Stop a moving marker in a narrowing zone. Skill-led products and apps. Works when the brand can justify precision as a theme.
7. Sort and organise
Drag items into the right category. Productivity, banking, storage. Demonstrates the product's core verb rather than describing it.
8. Before and after
A draggable divider over two states. Home services, beauty, tooling. Almost zero learning cost and a very high completion rate.
Choosing between them
Ask what decision the customer makes in the product, then find the mechanic that rehearses it in under fifteen seconds with one finger. If the mechanic needs a tutorial, it is the wrong mechanic for a paid placement.