Tier in detail
Tiers break a long programme into stages that people can feel. Rather than a single finish line months away, the organiser defines thresholds, perhaps bronze, silver and gold, or themed names matching the occasion, and each crossing triggers a visible change: a new badge, a profile marker, a congratulation on the feed. Tiers work across both competitive and non-competitive designs because they depend on a participant's own progress, not on beating others. In recurring programmes with quarterly and annual leaderboards, tiers also give people who started late a goal to reach. They interact with other mechanics: a tier can unlock a reward store item, a contest eligibility, or a step-order requirement in an attendance rule. Thresholds should be set after modelling realistic point rates, because a tier almost nobody reaches, or everyone reaches on day one, adds nothing. Sociana lists tiers beside badges, streaks and period goals as recognition mechanics.
How Sociana uses it
Tiers are thresholds in the points and badges area. Reaching one awards its badge, and thresholds can be defined on points or steps for each occasion.
Example
A year-round ambassador scheme used tier levels so participants had milestones between quarterly leaderboards.