tips & tricks

Challenge creation: A recipe for success

blog author
Aubrey
Sep 28, 2022

Each challenge on MoveSpring is made up of challenge modes. When you create a challenge from the MoveSpring Admin Center, you can mix-and-match challenge modes to create a custom challenge that fits your needs

We find that choosing a variety of challenge modes when creating your challenge provides an engaging experience for everyone, regardless of if they prefer the extra push from a close competition or are motivated by their own goals and progress.

To help you craft engaging challenges for all of your users, we’ve gathered our best recommendations to help you succeed.

You can think of challenge modes like ingredients in a recipe. You want to select ingredients that complement one another, and you don’t want to overwhelm the recipe by adding too many flavors into one dish.

Challenges work the same way! Challenge modes are selected to complement one another, and it’s best to keep things simple. Don’t overcomplicate your challenge by trying to include everything at once.

Please also keep in mind that while these are our general recommendations, challenge creation is more of an art than a science, so don’t be afraid to get creative and think outside the box!

Before you get started, keep in mind:

  • The most engaging challenges typically last 14-31 days.
  • You can access a full guide to naming your challenges here.
  • As you create your challenge, select your challenge modes in the order you want them to appear in the app. You can also edit the order later if needed.
  • Review your challenge setup before you run your official challenge by creating a test challenge. We highly recommend testing before your challenge starts, especially if you’re new to MoveSpring or on a one-time plan.

MoveSpring challenge modes

person tying shoes on sidewalk

Challenge modes in MoveSpring can be broken down into five main categories: individual modes, collaborative modes, team modes, individual daily habit modes, and engagement modes. We recommend selecting 2-4 modes per challenge.

A typical challenge setup includes a combination of 1 individual mode, 1 collaborative or team mode, and an engagement mode.

Individual modes

  • Streak
  • Stick To It
  • Target
  • Leaderboard
  • Virtual Race

Collaborative modes

  • Group Target
  • Group Virtual Race
  • Group Target Fundraiser

Team modes

  • Team Leaderboard
  • Team Virtual Race

Individual Daily Habit modes

  • Streak
  • Stick To It

Engagement modes

  • Content
  • Quote
  • Daily Workout

Selecting your activity metric

MoveSpring challenge modes can be scored by steps, distance, or active minutes. Scoring based on steps is most popular, but distance is also a common choice.* Active minutes is a great choice for individual modes, since active time can vary more by individual.

We recommend choosing either 1 or 2 activity metrics for each challenge (e.g. a Group Virtual Race based on distance, plus a Streak based on steps).

  • Note: All Virtual Race modes can only be scored by distance.

Looking to track holistic activities instead? Try one of our Individual Daily Habit modes, which allow you to track custom activities such as mindfulness, hydration, or gratitude! Learn more here.

Set your goals

See this blog post for information on how to set a goal. For Streak, Target, and Stick To It challenge modes, you can opt for a personalized goal to give participants control over the goal they want to work toward. For specific guidance on setting goals for group challenges, click here.

Choosing a theme and content

To build a challenge your participants are excited about, we highly recommend incorporating a theme! You can easily incorporate a theme—such as gratitude, nutrition, or sleep—into your challenges through content. You can share content from our curated content library, use one of our content collections, or create your own custom content. You can also make content actionable so participants can mark content posts as completed throughout your challenge!

Want more guidance? Use one of these common challenge structures

lightbulb with yellow clothespins on top

Individual challenges

Challenge 1: Stick To It + Content (Actionable) + Leaderboard

Recommended duration: 14-31 days

Sample challenge idea: Let’s Groove

This challenge structure is popular with admins who are just getting started with MoveSpring! The activity goals encourage consistent movement during the challenge, while actionable content enables you to curate a holistic challenge experience. Participants will set a personalized Stick to It goal. They’ll also be asked to complete small mini challenges through content, such as reading or journaling for 5 mins before bed or taking a savoring walk.

Challenge 2: Virtual Race + Stick To It

Recommended duration: 21-31 days

Sample challenge idea: Climb to the Top

Each Virtual Race mode focuses on a theme, so content is not required. This challenge structure is a great option for focusing on individual progress, since it highlights 2 individual modes (Virtual Race and Stick To It). For more competitive users, they will enjoy the leaderboard shown within the Virtual Race standings. For our Climb to the Top challenge idea, users will be encouraged to dream big, take risks, and learn the power of resiliency.

Collaborative challenge

Challenge 3: Group Virtual Race + Target + Quote

Recommended duration: 21-31 days

Sample challenge idea: Shriners Hospitals for Children Walk for Love

The pairing of a Group Virtual Race mode with a Target mode is effective since both modes highlight long-term goals. The Group Virtual Race is a group goal that all participants will work toward, while the Target mode is a goal that each individual will aim to complete on their own by the end of the challenge. In our sample challenge idea, Shriners Hospitals for Children customized their Virtual Race map for a more personalized experience. You can use our pre-made racetrack themes for your next challenge, or customize your own racetrack with the MoveSpring Racetrack Creator.

Team challenge

Challenge 4: Team Leaderboard + Content (Actionable)

Recommended duration: 21-31 days

Sample challenge idea: Stronger Together

Create opportunities for social connection by hosting a Team Leaderboard challenge. You can set up teams based on departments, locations, or even randomly assign teams to encourage fellow participants to get to know one another. The Stronger Together challenge also highlights a collection of mini challenges for participants to complete in content as an additional resource to boost social connection and camaraderie.

Daily Habit challenge

Challenge 5: Stick To It (Custom Activity) + Content

Recommended duration: 14-21 days

Sample challenge ideas: Custom Activity Challenge Ideas

Daily Habit challenge paired with actionable content can be a great way to drive home a theme. For example, if you’re asking participants to meditate, include meditation resources in content. We suggest keeping these challenges shorter (2-3 weeks max) since participants must manually log for Daily Habit challenges.

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