Before you can send push notifications to players, we must ask them to opt in. In contrast with Android, where push notifications are enabled by default, iOS always prompts users to allow or disallow push notifications in a pop-up window. One of the biggest mistakes games can make is asking users to opt-in to push notifications when they launch a game for the first time. Players don't want push messages from a game they know nothing about and haven't even gotten a chance to use yet.
With a significant opt-out rate, the main challenge for JWA was to convince iOs players to enable push notifications. On the iOS dialogue, we can only ask for users to opt in to push messaging once! We only get one opportunity, and if users reject us, then it's practically "game over".(No pun intended)
Introducing Pre-Permission Messages (PPM) a smart workaround that consists of designing and implementing our own permission screen to persuade players before launching the iOS permission dialogue in our game.
Even though these pre-permission messages are an excellent idea for persuading our players, it's still important to be strategic about the style, timing, and messaging. Irritating players by asking for opt-in permissions over and over again is another big mistake.
When it comes to winning our player's permission, context is everything. Emphasizing the notification value connected with a user's recent activity will be sure to sway them.
When Players collect free items on the Market screen is an excellent opportunity to launch our PPM; let the players know they can be notified when their next free goodie will be ready to be claimed is a strong motive to say yes.
When a new free item is soon to be available we can also start the PPM dialog, this can be done on the Market screen, the Collection screen and the Social screen. Free items can be cash or incubators.
Another strategy is to launch our PPM dialog after a player has eight sessions (or any other appropriated number of sessions) with our game. Hopefully, after eight sessions, our player has had enough time to experience the game and understand its value. Now they'll be more likely to say yes to the push!. Let's use our game player behaviour data to find the perfect moment where push message permission requests will be most effective.
Nothing more exciting to players like a little friendly competition. Game makers have access to their contact's activity on the game, so let them know that they can be notified when somebody challenges for a battle is an offer difficult to refuse.
I created this user flow as a tool for communicating what the PPM will do to non-technical people, especially stakeholders.
For more technical people wirefaremes are esential to "get the picture" and despite the fact that this is rather a short and simple flow, IMO wireframes are always necessary in mapping out the essential parts of this interface. It helps everyone involved gain a full understanding of this user experience near the beginning of the process.