Bounties attract serious brainpower to the challenge.
How can one design a tip jar to make people want to tip more/more often?
This is relevant for anyone who receives tips, from bartenders and baristas to street artists and even beggars. I noticed that often people invest very little to zero effort into this, simply using disposable cups with (or even without) a sign "tips" or similar "creative" means. Often those tip jars are hardly noticeable, no wonder why.
While the design of the jar shouldn't be the main reason why people tip, it should by no means be underestimated and if it's good enough, it might actually become the main reason. Here are some creative examples:
Tipping contests like in the last picture above seem to be a really good way to go about this. And generally, text written on/near the jars seems to be the most important encouraging factor, however, the appearance of the jar itself can also be impactful, e..g:
Interesting shapes, bright colors to attract attention, all this can help. It's also possible to design smart tip jars, e.g. a figure that does a certain move once you put a coin inside it, similarly to how "living sculpture" street artists earn money.
In current times it's also a very good idea to allow e-tipping, so digital tip jars come in more than handy. While they are still rare, people would likely want to tip just to see how it works. A tip jar accepting both digital and cash tippings would be the best option. Add some creative design element teasing out money on top of that and you get a very profitable tip jar.
A company selling various creative/smart tip jars could do pretty well, if using a specific tip jar substantially increases income received from tips, it's definitely worth buying one.
Do you have any ideas of tip jar designs that would encourage people to put money in?
Based on Spook Louw's realization, this idea could be used for tipping.
A miniature version could be created so that the coins take an "obstacle course" before being deposited in the tip jar.
The obstacle course doesn't need to be all downhill. It can start by launching the coin using a spring mechanism - similarly to how pinball machines launch metal balls. The coin gets propelled to the top of an obstacle course from where it goes downhill, making sounds when it hits dead ends, and continues in a different direction.
Please leave the feedback on this idea
Povilas S3 years ago
A coin track could be made in a way that it also depends on the thrower where the coin lands, so the people could compete who hits the target better. It would be similar to throwing coins to a tip jar from afar, just more interesting.
Please leave the feedback on this idea
Darko Savic3 years ago
Povilas S this gave me a cool idea. I posted it here.
Please leave the feedback on this idea
A darts-like game where coins are thrown at the target. Bullseye wins a prize, surrounding holes eat your coin
Darko SavicMar 17, 2022
Gamify tips/micro-donations with a darts-like game in which coins are tossed at a target full of holes. Hit the bullseye and get rewarded. Any of the surrounding holes eat your coin.
Please leave the feedback on this idea
Use two jars with controversial topics
M
MatanApr 18, 2022
So this is something I actually did and it worked pretty well:
take some topic where most people have a strong opinion of, and it's very divided.
I used two political parties at the time
Then put two jars one with each opinion and a sign on top saying something like "Which is better".
Please leave the feedback on this idea
Please leave the feedback on this idea