Probably not a good idea:
“I liken it to giving the keys of a sports car to a 12-year-old,” said Tara Falcone, a certified financial planner and the founder of ReisUP, a financial education company.
Source: Designed to distract: Stock app Robinhood nudges users to take risks
Robinhood stock trading app was designed to appeal to young people, generally lacking in financial and investment experience, and is accused of tricking them through “Gamification” to engage in risky trading activities and strategies.
“Gamification” applies elements of user interface design that reward you with gold stars, points or what ever, as an incentive to engage in certain behaviors
Gamification can also take other forms, including modifying user interfaces with “dark patterns” that discourage you from taking the right choice and instead encourage you to make a risky choice. It can also include manipulating colors – for example, not using the common choice of “red” to indicate a loss.
Starbuck’s and their app is a good example of gamification. It rewards you with “points” if you buy 3 products in a given time frame. This behavior encourages you to stick with Starbucks (brand loyalty) rather than buying your next cup from the local independent shop on the next block. Collect enough points and you can redeem the points for a drink in the store. Unfortunately, they also bombard you with emails and app alerts to further gamify the experience. Gamification is kinda scary when you consider that many people do not recognize that they are being manipulated.
