Our Scope
Logo Partner
The problem
Training was inconsistent from venue to venue, and it was hard to see and recognize good work. New hires struggled to get started. We wanted one tool that carried training, progress and recognition.
Listening first
We interviewed more than eight people across the business: senior leaders, venue managers and hourly workers. The pain points were the same at every level: recognition, consistency in training and getting started in the role.
Concepts we explored
We first explored a high-fidelity game where employees competed across the whole company. It was exciting, but keeping it engaging would have needed specialized developers, so we chose a more practical task-based model. We showed leadership two concept videos of what else was possible. SpaceQuest had employees work together toward distance milestones, unlocking rewards and ship upgrades. Buildy unlocked hexagonal panels on a shared or personal map as people completed tasks, a visual monument of their connection to the company.
Three MVP directions
We explored three MVPs. Training and career pathing offered standardized quizzes and progression. A gamification MVP offered narrative-driven incentives. A competition MVP offered venue-based leaderboards with real-world rewards. Leadership chose a hybrid of training and competition. We also tested visual directions early, with three designs for hourly work and one with broader appeal, to avoid late stakeholder changes.
Pilot and what we changed
We ran a pilot in select venues and reviewed early usage and feedback. We adjusted quiz difficulty based on what we heard, and tightened the feedback loop so workers see how they did at the end of their shift instead of the next day.
What we took from it
Training works best when it is short, tied to a real shift and gives people a reason to come back. Goldfish put training, progress and recognition into one task-based experience for frontline teams. The Goldfish logo and animation came from our partner Heyo.
