æStranger Consulting

Are you struggling with creating an engaging experience for your audiences?
Then we have the solution for you!

æStranger is here to help you craft an enhanced audience experience solution that is tailor made to solve your unique business problems.

We work with you to understand you and your audience, to align your goals, to determine your purpose, your audience’s needs and what behaviours will support you and them. And through this we maximise the success rate of the solutions we craft with you.

Our Audience Engagement and Experience (AEX) design process utlises 4 foundational pillars: behavioural psychology, marketing, gamification and business strategy.

Using these pillars and a very broad base of knowledge and experiences across multiple mediums for well over two decades, we have developed a ‘quest-driven’ methodology to solving your audience engagement problems. This allows us to craft with you ‘outside-of-the-box’ results and implement engagement methods in new and innovative ways.

Below are a variety of options that we offer to help you increase your audience engagement.

You are welcome to contact me, Albert van der Meer, to set-up a virtual call to discuss your specific issues and from there we can see where we go next.

If you have any other questions then please do contact us.

The choice is yours!

Consultation Sessions

For More Info

60-120 minute
Consulting Session

Total payment: €200.00 - €400.00

Consulting call

Per-day - 10 hours

Quote: €1,700.00

Consulting call

Single Project - 100 hours

Quote: €16,500.00

Consulting call

Monthly Retainer - 40 hours

Quote: €6,000.00

Consulting call

Audience engagement & experience methodology

Engaging Your Audience with AEX Design

The AEX Design process that I have developed and use at æStranger is one where we collaborate together to craft the right solution for you and your business. This solution will definitely increase your audience’s engagement with you, your brand and your business.

So, how do we get started?

We do this by accepting the call to adventure together:

  • Our first step together is to meet and talk about how æStranger can support you – to help with this we send a short ‘quest-ionnaire’ ahead of the call which will aid us in understanding your unique issues.

The call will allow us to discuss and figure out the adventure we will embark on together. What type of support you need and how best æStranger can give it to you.

æStranger offers 4 base packages, as can be seen above.

The 60-120 minute consulting service is for short, every once in a while check-ups or for 1-on-1 sessions for very specific and granular issues.

The Per-Day package is for shorter projects that require only a top-level analysis of your specific problem.

The Single Project Consultation Package includes 100 hours worth of time (typically calculated at 8-10 hour days). We will discuss together to discover how best this amount of time is used.
Generally, our clients spread the time over 2 months depending on the size of the project.

And lastly, we have a Monthly Retainer Package, which offers you the greatest amount of value. It starts at 40 hours worth of time each month per client. As with the project package, we work together to see how best the time is used and whether you need more or less. As such we only accept a maximum of 3-4 clients per month at any given time for this package.

Below is an example of the æStranger and AEX Design process and methodology, so that you can see for yourself what we offer at every step on our adventure to getting your audience to engage with you.

Proposal & background

Proposal

  • EPICQ Goal: Audience engagement and behaviour change.
  • Problem: Audiences are not continuing their journey and are not engaging with the current experience.
  • Targets & milestones: Getting audiences to take the desired actions in their journey flow by using mechanics and elements that promote such as taking part activities, creating a communal identity and implementing sustainable behaviour practices.
  • Purpose/Points of interest/Pain Points: Reinforcing the purpose of the audience experience, highlighting points that keep engagement high and minimising obstacles that cause drop-off or reframing them to strenghten engagement even further.

Background

  • Methods: Using AEX design, gamification methodologies and processes, as partly outlined in the book Press Start – Using Gamification to Power-up Your Marketing.
  • Analysis: Evaluation of audience experience using the perspectives/lens of behavioural psychology.
  • Execution: Crafting a robust engagement strategy grounded in the 4 pillars of the AEX design methodology.
  • More information can also be found on aestranger.com

Audience experience journey

Audience journey: Taking the audience through a 6 stage journey to encourage behaviour change.

Stage 1. Discovery & Onboarding:

  • The audience member discovers and is introduced to the experience and chooses to participate – they embark on their journey or quest.
  • They are introduced to the concept, purpose, and benefits of the experience, enticing them further to participate.
  • Through the onboarding process, they familiarize themselves with the experiences mechanics, rules, and objectives and they learn about the challenges they will face and the rewards that they can earn.
  • They consciously or unconsciously define their own goals within the experience and what they wish to get out of it.

Stage 2. Novus Status:

  • The audience member ‘sets off on their quest’, entering a new and exciting world and starts engaging with the content and challenges provided within the experience.
  • They begin their journey by exploring the experience and familiarizing themselves with the rules and mechanics.
  • They explore interactive elements, complete tasks, and solve challenges to progress in the experience.
  • They may consume educational content, participate in quizzes, or complete activities aligned with gamified objectives, these serve as the initial challenges and tasks that serve as a foundation for their adventure.

Stage 3. Progress & Trials:

  • The audience member faces a series of trials and obstacles that test their skills and knowledge.
  • They engage with interactive content, complete challenges, and earn points as they progress.
  • They may encounter puzzles, quizzes, or tasks that require them to apply their previous learning and problem-solving abilities, allowing them to progress even further.
  • As the audience member completes tasks or achieves milestones within the experience, they can earn rewards and achievements.
  • Rewards may be given based on the completion of challenges (i.e. such as answering questions correctly) or by reaching specific milestones.
  • Achievements could be in the form of badges, levels, or virtual rewards that recognize their progress and accomplishments.

Stage 4. Obstacles & Scaffolding:

  • The challenges become more complex and demanding as the audience member advances further.
  • They face tougher opponents, time constraints, or higher-level tasks that push their capabilities.
  • The audience member must overcome these challenges to continue their ascent.
  • The audience member can track their progress through visual indicators or a personal dashboard within the experience.
  • They can see their earned points, achievements, and how they compare to other participants.
  • Leaderboards or performance rankings may be available, allowing them to compare their performance with themselves, peers, colleagues or other competitors.

Stage 5. Mastery & Feedback:

  • The audience member reaches a climactic point in their quest, achieving a significant milestone or completing a ‘final’ challenge.
  • The audience member receives real-time feedback on their performance and feedback upon completion of challenges or tasks, acknowledging their accomplishments and growth.
  • They are rewarded with meaningful incentives, such as badges, trophies, or exclusive access to additional content.
  • They receive immediate feedback on their performance, guiding them on areas of improvement or providing positive reinforcement.
  • Upon reaching significant milestones or achieving specific objectives, they may receive rewards such as digital badges, virtual goods, or access to exclusive content.

Stage 6. Endgame & Aftermath:

  • The audience member concludes their quest and ‘begins their journey back to the real world’, through which they can reflect on their experience and progress within the experience.
  • They reflect on their experience, assessing their personal growth, and lessons learned.
  • Here the audience member is ‘rewarded’ by being shown the consequences of their actions. The outcome can be positive, negative or both.
  • They may have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience, offering insights for improvement and sharing their achievements with others, fostering a sense of community and accomplishment.
  • They are encouraged to continue engaging with the (new) experience, either through new challenges, advancing to higher levels, or exploring additional content.

AEX Design 6*2-Stage Quest Methdology

The 6*2-Stage Approach and Methodology leverages techniques and tools found in behavioural psychology, marketing, business strategy & gaming to guide you towards your goals.

Stage 0
Meet & Greet

Understanding more about your organisation – status, perceptions & plans

Stage 1
Discovery & Introduction

Defining EPICQ goals & crafting persona - conceptualising the adventure

Stage 2
Novus Status

Defining the TMRs & selecting mechanics, elements and systems to create the experience

Stage 3
Progress & Onboarding

Crafting the audience journey - defining the 3Ps & constructing the Action Plan that integrates the systems and the experience

Stage 4
Obstacles & Scaffolding

Aligning the new experience & challenging the audience - gathering initial feedback & engineering rewards

Stage 5
Mastery & Feedback

Testing, iterating & enhancing the experience - collating all the work into an applicable guiding policy

Stage 6
Endgame & Aftermath

Reflecting on the process & measuring the post launch experience

Project outline

Done in a series of stages to help develop the best design for behaviour change & increased overall engagement:

Stage 1. Discovery & Introduction

1.1 Defining Goals & Objectives:

  • The initial stage is where ideas are generated, and the concept for the project is developed. This includes brainstorming, research, and collaboration among the creative team.
  • Clearly define the (EPICQ) Goals and objectives of the gamification and audience engagement strategy for the Experience Provider (EP) or client.
  • Identifying the specific behaviours, actions, and/or outcomes the EP/Client wants to encourage and/or achieve.

1.2 Identifying your Target Audience:

  • Understand your target audience’s demographics, preferences, motivations, and needs.
  • Creating Fictional Audience Behavioural & Emotional Layouts (FABELs) to determine how the gamified experience can align with their interests, emotional motivations, and desires and engage them effectively.
  • Helps to determine if the audience’s own (EPICQ) goals and objectives align with those of the EP/Client.
  • Initial thoughts on the ‘story’ that the target audience would most likely want to engage with.

Stage 2. Novus Status

2.1 Conducting Research & Analysis:

  • Conduct research on the industry, market trends, and competitors.
  • Analyze user/audience behaviour, preferences, and existing engagement patterns.
  • Define Targets, Milestones and Rewards (TMRs) for both the audience and the EP.
  • Define the touchpoints and interactions throughout the gamified experience. These are represented as Points of Purpose, Points of Interest and Points of Pain, or the 3 Ps.
  • Identify potential challenges, barriers, or opportunities related to the target audience and context.
  • If required, determine the budget and financing for the project, gauging interest and commitment towards it.

2.2 Designing Engagement Mechanics & Elements:

  • Detailed planning and organization before the project begins. Includes mechanics and elements likely required, systems needed and equipment necessary.
  • Select and/or design appropriate game mechanics and elements that align with the objectives and target audience.
  • Determine the points, badges, leaderboards, levels, challenges, rewards, or other elements to incorporate, if appropriate.
  • Map out the rules, progression system, feedback mechanisms, and incentives to drive engagement.

Stage 3. Progress & Onboarding

3.1 Crafting the Audience/User Journey & Experience:

  • Logistics of the audience’s journey are initiated and placed in motion towards finalization.
  • Design the user journey, taking the target audience’s needs and motivations into account. This becomes the basis of the Action Plan that incorporates the 3 Ps.
  • 6-stage audience journey is defined and developed – incorporating the Action Plan.
  • The audience is on their journey and faces challenges and obstacles as defined in the Action Plan.
  • Create a compelling and coherent game narrative or story that enhances user engagement.
  • This is the confrontation zone where learning starts to occur.

3.2 Integrating Experience with Existing Systems or Processes:

  • The selection of relevant mechanics, elements and systems is done, through an audition and vetting system to decide on use and feasibility.
  • Determine how gamification will be integrated with existing platforms, systems, or processes, if relevant.
  • Collaborate with developers or technical experts to implement the necessary gamified features and functionalities.

Stage 4. Obstacles & Scaffolding

4.1 Developing Content & Challenges:

  • Production of the audience’s journey is fully underway, and coordination of mechanics, challenges and processes are reviewed regularly.
  • Create engaging and relevant content, challenges, or activities that align with the objectives and target audience.
  • Balance the level of difficulty, variety, and progression to maintain audience/user interest and motivation.
  • Incorporate opportunities for user-generated content or contributions, fostering a sense of ownership, collaboration and community.

4.2 Providing Feedback & Rewards:

  • Establish feedback mechanisms to provide immediate, constructive, and personalized feedback to the audience/users.
  • Define a reward system that offers meaningful incentives for desired behaviours or achievements.
  • Ensure the rewards are relevant, attainable, and aligned with the target audience’s interests and motivations.

Stage 5. Mastery & Feedback

5.1 Test & Iterate:

  • Conduct testing and audience feedback sessions to gauge reactions and identify areas for improvement.
  • Gather data and analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of the gamification strategy.
  • Use the insights gained to refine and iterate the strategy and optimize the audience experience.
  • Utilise data to refine and improve FABELs to augment audience targeting strategies.

5.2 Implement Technical Aspects:

  • Collaborate with developers or technical experts to implement the gamification features and functionalities.
  • Ensure the technical infrastructure supports the desired user experience and engagement elements.
  • Craft mastery features and final challenges for the audience which naturally lead into the Endgame stage.

Stage 6. Endgame & Aftermath

6.1 Launch & Monitor:

  • Creation of marketing materials and promotional information to generate interest in the experience.
  • Launch the gamified experience to the target audience.
  • Monitor user engagement, behaviour patterns, and feedback.
  • Continuously track TMRs and/or key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and impact of the strategy.

6.2 Evaluate & Improve:

  • Regularly evaluate the audience engagement strategy based on data-driven insights and user feedback.
  • Identify areas of improvement and make iterative adjustments to enhance the user experience, drive desired outcomes and reward the audience.
  • Ensure the desired outcomes align with the EP’s (EPICQ) goals & objectives, as well as those of the audience.

Initial evaluation

Evaluation of an example company

  • Objective(s): Creating engagement for the user to take the next step in their journey and partaking in individual and communal activities/challenges to save money and the environment.
  • Desired behaviours & actions: To encourage responsible and sustainable behaviour, allowing for a saving on resource ‘consumption’, saving on expenditure and creating the communal activity of donating to local communities and charities to further promote sustainable practices and usages.
  • Audience/Users: Home-owners and renters, with likely a Flesch reading level of 70.0 or higher.
  • Motivators: Improving overall user engagement by placing greater focus on specific motivational levers such as Purpose, Belonging, Mastery, Esteem and others.
  • Experience path: Current visual & interactive user experience can be improved and augmented by evaluating the experience flow and using the 6 stages of the ‘audience’s journey’.
  • Metrics & feedback: Creating more engaging and immediate feedback-loops for the user when taking part in challenges and the community to further encourage desired behaviours and actions during their journey.

Suggested flow – example mechanics/elements

  • Narrative: Implementing a story element to the audience’s journey – allowing them to connect with and engage with either the story(s) of other people who have gone through the experience and/or with a fictional story (possibly based on the organisation’s mission statement).
  • Teams: Expanding on this dynamic aspect, allowing for more localised competition and creating specific/collective objectives.
  • Progress: Creating a representation of the audience’s progress, either through experience (points) and player levels or similar.
  • Communication: Allow the audience to communicate more openly with each other, creating an opportunity for them to share tips, tricks and hacks for various sustainability practices and methods.
  • Rewards: Variation of rewards depending on time and difficulty of challenges and quests, as well as hidden rewards (Easter eggs) for people who compete in a series of challenges or participate in the community.

Chief Crafter & Consultant

 Albert is a consultant based in Germany and the Netherlands, with expertise in narrative and visual entertainment, storytelling and teaching, with experience gained as a freelance filmmaker, media producer, and team-building facilitator. He has worked with many international businesses, including Education First, Hult International Business School, GetWaterFit, Recast, T-Mobile, UK Sport and many more.

Contact Us

Still wondering?

If you are unsure of what you need or want, then you can contact us for a paid consultation session in which we will explore with you what you want.

About

æStranger officially started in 2018, but has been around in some form for a few years. It is a platform to promote a mission to engage people through adventure and storytelling, to better learn and understand from each other.

For more information please go to our About page.

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Privacy Policy

Consultation Sessions

Info

æStranger’s long-form consultation sessions are for those that want to have everything that the Audience Engagement and Experience Design process has to offer. Utilising our custom crafted AEX Design solution methodology, we will work with you to develop a tailored approach and experience for your audience, so that they remain engaged and loyal to you. The design methodology used in the consultation packages us a variety of disciplines as its foundation; ranging from gamification to marketing, behavioural psychology and business strategy. 

These packages are usually preceded by one of our shorter sessions, such as the 30-, 60- or 2-hour calls. In these calls we determine the viability of your project and the scope needed by discussing and diagnosing the nature of your specific challenge. From there we can start to think about the a guiding plan to tackle the challenge and what set of actions are required to enact the overall strategy.

Our consultation packages are not intended to be consecutive day packages. They can be, but they do not have to be. Very often we work with you as and when it fits you the best. For example, the 10-day consultation package could be spread over a 4-to-8-week basis, where we diligently work together on a regular basis to achieve the best audience experience solution that we can offer. For a more in-depth look at our process, please to have a look at the extended use-case example below on our main consulting page.

The cost of each package is a quote of what the likely cost will be for projects of various sizes. 

The reason that we only give you a quote now and not a set price is because we fully understand that each project is unique and requires a tailored approach. As we will discuss in the conversations leading up to the project, the quote and time taken will be refined to fit your needs.

Should you have queries around what you will gain from the AEX Design process or whether the price is worth it, then please do not hesitate to contact us and setup a call with us, as we are happy to discuss any concerns with you.

Offerings

60 minute Consulting Session

Total payment: €150.00

Per-day Consultation

Quote: €1,600.00

10-day/Project Consultation

Quote: €15,000.00

before you go!

Before you go and grab your copy of Press Start, would you like your free White Paper on how to better engage your audience and other bonuses?

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No thanks, I'd rather just get my copy of the book.

Before you go!

Before you go and grab your copy of Press Start, would you like your free White Paper on how to better engage your audience and other bonuses?

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
No thanks, I'd rather just get my copy of the book.