Volkswagen's fun theory and the online tools that "get it"

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Volkswagen Sweden is running a very interesting project called the fun theory. They want to see if it's possible to take a boring task and make it fun, so that people actually want to do it.

Watch this short video to see how this bunch of Swedes made recycling fun:

Source: thefuntheory.com

This video really hits the nail on the head. It shows how we don't mind doing things that are enjoyable - even if they're work. And there are plenty more untapped opportunities to bring out the fun, even in the most unlikely areas of your life.

Software that makes you smile

MailChimp is an email marketing provider based in the USA. They have shown that even software can come with fun built in as standard and still be successful (we use them to send out our newsletter).

Each time you log in, you'll be greeted by Freddie the chimpanzee with a cheeky slogan and a new YouTube recommendation, usually monkey-related.

MailChimp took the fun so far that some customers were wary of recommending the software to their customers. To counteract this, they rolled out their party-pooper mode. With this option activated, Freddie disappears completely from the screen.

Luckily for WebsiteToolTester, building websites can also be great fun. For example, we found that website builder Jimdo takes (what are for many people) tedious, techie and annoying tasks, such as writing HTML code, administering a domain, creating image galleries, etc. and actually makes them enjoyable.

An easy-to-use editor and the company's friendly and personable approach goes a long way towards creating this experience.

So thumbs up for the fun factor, but remember: a few jokes won't make a rubbishy product more palatable - quite the opposite, in fact. MailChimp and Jimdo are both leaders in their fields, which is why this approach works well for them.

You know, the fun factor is so important to us here at WebsiteToolTester that we've been ranking it on a scale of 1 to 5 ever since we started our website building reviews. Mixing work and play is something we're all for :-)