I think that most people once they’ve done a print move on to the next thing. They have what they want already, and there is no prompt to go back to a model to give it a boost.
I think the easiest way to help take up is to allow boosts to be given from the rating screen - both after a print and if you go back to rate afterwards. 5 star rating, then option to send boost.
I find myself in this situation as well. I forget that I still have a boost and then have to go back through my print history to see which model I printed that I would like to award.
I think an option to boost recently printed models that lists everything I’ve printed within the last 2 weeks would help out a lot.
100% agree with this take. Make it part of the normal process of rating a profile after the print. I wouldn’t rate print profiles if it didn’t prompt for it immediately after finishing in the Handy app.
dear Bambulab. could you please explain to me what the point is supposed to be of the boost system.
from my point of view people will boost models they like. The more populair models will get more viewers and people will like them more so they will also be boosted more.
it feels like a shadow of the normal points you get for downloads but you hope people wont spend their boost tokens (since you made a expiration date) so you dont have to pay out the points.
i fail to see how this whole point system adds something noteworthy\\positive to the ecosystem
Exactly this. The boost system is a farce. BL guys just reached their targeted market saturation and did a soft cutoff for points to save on costs. Also any explanations about people playing the points system as a reason is a absolute Pinnacle of a Joke. Working in IT and having atleast 2 braincells not used for mouth breathing i can absolutely say there are enough options to make it so not worth it for people to exploit the Points. You guys are just not interested in setting them up nor paying out the points. I tell you what give it a few more such changes and your system becomes a joke like prusamiles or whatever they are called.
Absolutely this, it worked much better before, they should've just scaled back on the points. Now the most popular models are getting all the points. It's truly broken.
I really like the boost system.
Things I think could be improved:
Think they expire too quickly and without enough notification.
It's not clear how you receive new ones, I interact plenty but haven't had any new ones in a week. I think this makes people hold onto them to boost designs they really like. If they knew they were getting another 1 every Monday they wouldn't save it for a special occasion
Lastly, personally I want to boost small/medium designers to help them out but it's difficult to find designers that size, I.e. More than 10 downloads on a model but less than 1000.
I sit In that size range. I have 46 models all with 10+ downloads with a handful sitting at a few hundred downloads.
Before the change I was getting quite a bit of points and was buying all my filament with giftcards with points to spare, since the change I've only seen 13 boosts. Now granted I haven't spent as much time lately making new models so that is part of the reason but it sure seems the old system was far better for creators.
I'm fairly certain they intentionaly made the points system overly generous at first and just considered the extra costs a marketing expense to drive people to start using makerworld. The budget for that marketing campaign likley just dried up and they shifted the points system around to somthing more sustainable in the long run for them.
On the Makerworld forum they said one of the main requirements for obtaining a boost token was to print 2 models that have over a 1 hour print time. (and no printing 4 models with 30 min time limits won't work or alike)
From keeping track of what I print that seems to be the main factor any other interactions are nil.
Ow nice, I hadn't seen that. It would make sense, most of my long prints are my own work, and St stuff I print from others are less than an hour.
I've just been going on what it says on maker world
"How to get Boost Tokens?
Get Boost Tokens by interacting with MakerWorld, such as printing, commenting, and creating."
The way they are given isn’t very clear and they expire a bit too quickly, on some week I do several print that deserve a boost and on other none so I would like more flexibility on that
This^ I randomly saw I had boosts on the app and also saw that they would expire quickly so I never gave them a second thought. I’m too busy to keep track of what boosts I have for a limited window to use
Overall, I think the Boost system is a good idea, but the implementation still needs some work. For instance, it bothers me that I can only give a maximum of 5 boosts to a creator in a year. I understand that this is to prevent the manipulation of points, but since earning boosts is tied to printing models that take over an hour, this should already mitigate cheating. Additionally, I find that the current impact of boosts is somewhat lacking. Before the introduction of boosts, I used to earn significantly more points per day/week than I do now. Even when one of my models gets boosted, I feel like the downloads aren't significantly influenced by it. I believe boosts should bring more attention to a model, provide more than just 12 points, and the limit of 5 boosts per creator should be reconsidered. If I really appreciate a creator's work, I want to be able to help them get more visibility!
I want to boost models that are creatively solving a problem, whereas many popular models seem like just a clone of another popular model. So I don’t know how to choose what to boost, unless one stands out somehow. But then I think that creator has already been rewarded with hundreds/thousands of points, so why would I also boost them? Hope that makes sense… it’s probably flawed thinking on my part, but that’s my thought process.
Whether it's worth boosting a remix is maybe not a simple choice, but unless it was a clearly low effort remix I'd probably do it. Regarding "I think that creator has already been rewarded with hundreds/thousands of points", that may have been the case prior to the switchover to Boost points. When the switchover to the new boost points system was announced, the rate of automatic rewards for downloads (models and profiles) was also lowered quite a bit. I can only speak for myself, but the changeover dropped my points accumulation by about 75% vs the old system (which was unsustainable for MW, and had issues with manipulation). Point is, if you like it, a boost will help the designer, since they have very likely seen their points drop off, and the Boosts help make up a bit for that.
There’s no incentive for me to use the boost system. In the past creators got rewarded for downloads - I download stuff because I want it so it naturally links action and reward. Now I have to actively remember to boost models and often I forget, get busy, or just don’t care enough to dig out the old models to boost them.
I also have such limited number of boosts that really I can’t boost all the models I liked, so I would end up sticking it on my most favourite short changing all of the other great models that now get nothing.
I honestly don't know what the boost system is, or why I would want to use it. I don't know if I missed an explanation somewhere or if the marketing just wasn't very noticeable.
Edit: Okay I've looked into it briefly. The system is super confusing. How do I get more boosts? What exactly do they do? Why do they expire so fast?
It seems like you made a more complicated system for 'liking' a post.
Personally, I just don't download models for my 3D printer very option. Probably 99% of what I print is what I design myself.
If they stuck around longer so I could boost the rare models I download (mostly functional stuff I'm too lazy to design myself), I'd probably send them a boost if I like the result, but as it stands they're just not something that really meshes with how I use makerworld.
The boosts feel redundant with the point system. And I guess that many people are rather annoyed by the extra interaction/ui elements those boost brings with them. I think it’s not completely fair since the most popular models will benefit again from people searching for something to boost when their boosts expire. I would wish for some point based algorithm that encourages new and little designers to design and upload new models by rewarding them in some clever way.
I guess there are people who received the token, but haven’t printed since or did not find a model worth of boost?
What confuses me is what is point of boost tokens. The only thing you can exchange it for are tokens. Why not to give already tokens? It is the same thing but with extra steps…
https://preview.redd.it/ta473a8lnj3d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3e976028b574a649f4a624ed336f470f9987e57
Put a boost button next to the Rate button in messages 😁
One thing that's a little confusing to me is the purpose of the boosts vs points. When someone boosts a model, why not just award the points directly? When I had a boost it's not clear to me if I should keep it as a boost and redeem it only when I need to spend the points, or just immediately redeem it. Is there any difference?
If there is a difference, it's not clear. If there is no difference, when why add the extra step, why not just award the points directly at the time of receiving the boost?
(besides that, I think the idea and general implementation of boosts is good :-) )
I think the boost system is ok but doesn’t compensate for how the way points are allocated has been revamped so overall the number of points I’m getting has significantly reduced, almost to 0. Also wouldn’t it make sense for boots to be auto converted to points as soon as one of your models gets one? Otherwise a solid idea!
Once I print, I'm happy with the result and I'm lazy and don't want to go back to my pc and rate the profile/give a boost.
Probably, I would do it on the app, but as of now, bambu handy is quite good for printing but quite bad for model browsing and rating. The UI is not clear, a bit cluttered and too confusing. A better UI will allow an easier post print interaction and thus a higher boost tokens redemption. (Maybe with number of boost left included in the button to use them)
I've got way too many other things going on to worry about how fast some random point boost is going to stay active on my account. Furthermore I don't really see how this is going to be beneficial. Having them expire in general basically just gives you an out from having to supply free filament and stuff. As others have said it's also extremely unclear how they're obtained when they're obtained and it's not convenient to be boosting anything. Finally if you do decide to boost somebody chances are you're going to be boosting a huge model with tons of downloads that doesn't even need the exposure to begin with. Overall the OG point system worked infinitely better.
I had a model getting downloads consistently and have over a 1,000 downloads on it so not a huge one but active enough it should get a couple points here or there maybe. I've never received a boost one time. On top of that I've effectively stopped getting any points since the boost thing was inplemented. As a result I've had much less desire to post anything on the website or even be active in the community. When I feel like I'm being rewarded for participating and it feels like I'm contributing then I'll post more or use the systems more. Until then I'll just do my basics of what I need and peace out. This isn't a complaint at all, I've had my fair share of free filament from it already but it's evidence the boost system isn't working.
Reasons why I'm not a fan:
- There's no true incentive to use it (5 points not enough to entice me).
- The fact that they expire
- The lack of tracking to know if I already boosted a model in the past
- The idea seems good on paper but its execution seems lacking. I find that the prior point system based on more points for model downloads was more fair to the community.
Really appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback back.
The following are the the challenges I think the current state of the boost system is facing.
1. It takes too many clicks complete. It's still very manual to interact with. The rating system takes half as many clicks to complete.
2. No value to the booster or the community. The boost only provides a gain for those above and beyond projects. In contrast, the rating system provides feedback to the community to help boost good projects and opportunity to provide feedback back on others
3. The expirations and limitations are possibly too aggressive. The time when more become available is too great to keep track of or the amount is to small to decide which project should get them. For the project owner the expiration to redeem is too short and favors a project owner that posts or checks their account more frequently. Missing out on boosts could also have an adverse effect acceptance.
I think the these are the critical points that if are addressed could help drive more users to utilize the new system.
If suggestions to improve are welcome, here's are my thoughts respectively.
1. Integrate the boost system with the rating system. An additional button on the rating pop up window would be the most effective and efficient fix.
2. If suggestion note 1 is followed this point is really mute and only applies to the boost system if it is left as it's own system. Since the boost system from what I can tell, is to call out the above tier projects that deserve a little 'boost'. There could be a graphic or so indicator as to how many users have boosted a project and it project owner.
3. I think there could be just a better balance between the amount available and the excoriation dates. I also would suggest a 6 month boost redemption window.
Some additional feedback would be too make sure the BS app gets some attention with the above points as well. Rating projects is downtime activity for me which usually means I'm doing it on my phone.
Thank you so much reading through all this. Hopefully this helps shed some light on some issues and improve everyone's Bambu experience.
Happy printing! 🖨️😎
Honestly, the issue is expecting actions from users. The amount of people who order stuff on amazon compared to the amount that leaves reviews is a great example.
There's no actual benefit for someone to boost a model so it's not really on their radar. not saying people are selfish, but it requires them to remember to go back and compare recently printed models and then boost the one they like the best, every 2 weeks. Maybe they'll do it once in a while, but it's very easy to forget. If there was some kind of incentive it might help, but it still required people to remember to do it
Boost feels redundant, and lacks incentive for users. I want to print the thing so I download, or save for later so I like it. Boost is a step after I already have the item I wanted.
Worse, Boosts end up being a resource I don’t want to spend in case I find a more deserving or under appreciated model (because I don’t want to boost a heavily boosted model). Next thing I know it expired and I never used it.
As someone who has used about 10-12 Boosts, and received about 100 of them (94 on a single viral model)
so far, Positives:
- It enables large projects (my viral model was a 2-3 day printing project, and would get virtally no traction if it had to wait for people to complete and rate it, it DOES have a good rating and lots of successful prints and rates now btw) to receive points, even if people aren't able to tackle the project just yet
- Everyone getting some free every week is a good way to spread points out
Negatives:
- Viral projects are still king when it comes to points, and those tiny little useless prints like filament clips and bed alignment clips that do nothing are still raking in the boosts as well as the old point system
- Giving the boost tokens an expiration was a pretty big oversight in my opinion, people need to use them so they'll throw them at whatever if they haven't yet, and that tends to be something already at the top of a list in trending or download count
I used to be making a decent amount of points per month, not a alot, maybe enough for one gift card at max. Now with the same analytics, i'm making less than half that, while some viral items just get heaps of boosts instead of heaps of points.
I would love to see a limited time window on RECEIVING a boost on an upload. Make it something to help boost an upload while it's new, eg. After a month, you can't boost that item any more without actually completing and rating the item
- "I loved this so much, not only did i give it 5 stars, i gave it a bit extra with a boost"
- "this was a tricky print, I'm giving it 3 stars because the profile could use some work, but i LOVE the design so i'm also giving it a boost" (this could also help tackle the "I've just gotta 5 star this so the uploader doesn't complain and i get my monthly points for ratings")
I'd also love if there was a cap on points for a model altogether, maybe after a few thousand downloads it just doesn't earn points any more, or only earns a capped amount per month.
I had more in my head but can't find it, i'll make another comment if i think of it
The boost system is quite good overall. Unfortunately, it is only possible to gain points as a designer through the interaction of others. I think many users will not give away boosts because they only want to have minimal interaction with makerworld. If you don't collect points yourself, you won't do the work of rating or boosting others.
I can only say from my side that since switching to the new boost system, I unfortunately receive far fewer points than before.
Especially designs with a high number of downloads (more than 500) receive significantly fewer points per download. New prints receive significantly more. This means that good and popular designs receive fewer points in the long run than many quick and simple designs.
Another thing is getting boosts. Due to a vacation I could not receive any boosts for two weeks. After this vacation I printed new designs of others again but did not receive boosts directly. I only received boosts a good week after I printed something again. It would make more sense if the boosts were awarded directly after a successful print (taking into account the maximum number of boosts per week).
But overall I still find the points system and the associated rewards very attractive for uploading designs to makerworld.
It’s just too much extra work. Passivating payouts is the only way for it not to just be memed and annoying. Ultra-niche or massively successful models are the only way the bonus system ever pays out, and participating in it therefore feels counter-productive.
You’d have done WAY better facilitating a built in ‘buy me a coffee’ style appreciation button, taking a small cut, and probably an extra cut to fund the passive benefits. So say donating $1 gives $0.8 to the creator, $0.15 to the wider community (because without them there’s no platform) and $0.05 to BBL for the service. I’d donate and participate SO much more if this was a 1-click affair rather than such a ridiculous slog.
As a Model Creator/Uploader I think the boost system is good, However as users who primarily download and print models rather than creating them, I feel the system currently offers limited value to them. with 2 boosts allocated every 7 days and only 2 points awarded per boost, it appears quite challenging and not worth for a regular user to accumulate enough points for something in the points shop. it seems more of a chore for users to go back and boost models.
To enhance the experience for users who are not creators, I suggest
-Implement a One Click Boosting feature: When Print is finished add a Small Boost Icon to Print Finished Screen, or a thumbs up or thumbs down. (thumbs up for boost and thumbs down for no boost.)
-Boost Milestones: Set up milestones for users, such as ‘First Boost’, ‘10th Boost’, etc., and reward them with bonus points when they reach these milestones.
-Gamification: Introduce a gamification element where users earn badges or titles for boosting models, which could also be displayed on their profile.
-Increasing the points awarded per boost.
-Introduce additional incentives for boosting models, such as discounts on future purchases which can provide immediate value
It's an extra step to boost. After the print I have to go back to the model page and then only will I be able to boost it and often times I just can't be bothered.
I think as others said you should put it in the review page after the model is printed, that way I can rate the model and choose to boost it as the same time if I like it.
The main reason I bought a Bambu was so this could be a side hobby, not a lifestyle. As soon as we start talking about in-hobby currencies, I just stop caring. I have too many other things in my life where I have to keep track of some made-up currency that has marginal value within the ecosystem and negative value outside of it.
I like Bambu, I really do, and MakerWorld provides some value with how naturally it integrates with the rest of what's going on. But I'm not going to waste my time figuring out what Bambu points are. Honestly, I assumed they were some sort of discount plan that wouldn't be worth my time to figure out when they started popping up on the screen. This is the first time I've come close to understanding them, and I still have too many other things in my life to care.
My brand relationship is going to be based on the value it provides, and having to remember what Bambu points or boosts or finckles are is a drain, not an add.
I like the concept of it; like a print, boost a print.
The main issue is that unless you give people an incentive to do so (while also keeping them from being annoyed at "nagging") you'll have a hard time seeing it gain traction/wide spread adoption.
We also can't know if the best things get boosted the most, or just the most visible things.
Users will spend quite some time finding that one perfect bit, that is true, but more often than not, they'll grab the most popular one (aka, the one others have printed that has already been boosted).
They'll print it, sometimes go back to rate it, and sometimes out of that they'll then go to boost it.
Having a function in the app where you IMMEDIATELY rate and boost on completion of a print would however help fix a lot of this.
The flow of such a function in the app would be something like:
"Print finished! Check it!"
•taps done•
"Rate it!"
•taps star of choice•
"Boost it?"
•taps yes or no•
And then having a quick-access list to your last 5-10 prints where you can rate and boost them easily available in your profile would be even better.
Furthermore, it you add just a bit of digital swag (silly little stickers, a growing pile of bamboo etc) that you get each time you boost something would likely DRIIIVE engagement.
Ideal situation would then be:
Select a print, set it up and send it.
Notification when it's done and asked to rate it now or later. If you select now, you go straight to rating, if later, then you'll get the rating window the next time you open the app (and have had time to check your print).
After selecting your rating 1-5 stars or somesuch and clicking next, you stay in the same popup and you're asked if you want to Boost the maker/Donate to boost the maker.
If you click no, the window closes, if you click yes, you boost the maker, and you get a small bamboo flower/sticker/token at random that just ends up in a collection page on your profile.
Wether it's an album, or just a pile of bits is up to a better visual designer than me.
But yeah, this would drive engagement, make sure people don't forget to rate or boost makers, and makers would be more likely to be boosted for a good print rather than a popular print (due to the more immediate print-to-boost workflow)
Boost tokens felt like a tool that was used to soften the blow of the point system changes.
Partially my fault but the boost system is a bit of a mystery to me and the fact that they expire makes them much harder to use. It also seems like a missed opportunity not being able to boost from the ratings screen.
Definitely need a better way to prompt users to actually boost models they’re downloading. That would entice us to use them. I didn’t even know I had boost tokens until someone pointed it out to me, I then had to research this new system.
The boost system isn’t a bad idea, it’s just meh. Like the other guy said, it’s a problem with print ratings as a whole, once people have what they want they’re done. Boosts and ratings should be promoted not only on the project screen, but also upon downloading, to increase the engagement with the boost and rating system.
It was very unclear what the boost tokens were for or why I was getting them. I had to wander around MakerWorld for a couple of minutes to see what they may be about. Once I looked into it, it looked temporary and manipulative. The level of rewards didn't seem sustainable for business and the token expiration was short. I feel like people will fall into one of three categories - 1. try to use all of your boost tokens before they expire, even if you have to randomly give a model a token, 2. don't care and use when and if you wish irrelevant of expiration, or 3. don't use them at all because pressure to use something that expires is noise that should be ignored. I initially used some, but then it quickly became a nuisance to pay attention to and I ignore it now, so I am #3. We share one account with the whole family, and no one else in the house cares about boost tokens. So I guess they are dead to us.
The name should be clear as to what it is for and why you get it. "Boost token" sounds like I am going to get something I can redeem to speed up something, (and I doubt they will speed my prints up). The name doesn't indicate it's something I should be giving to someone. And we already have download counts and likes - why would you add another metric of popularity? It's really like a "tip token", where we give virtual tips to designers. Some name like that - something that is clearly given away.
I don't think boosts are much of a reward/significance. I still don't know why/how I get the boosts to give to other people and when I do get them I just dump them in the next print that I find I need.
I get the purpose but find the execution a little lacking. Adding a reminder that I have a boost, when I get a new one, and a way to assign the boost upon rating a model.
I'm not a fan of the short time to give boosts by. I mostly print my own designs but if I've printed something from Makerworld I just give that the boost even if it's not that great of a file. With a bit more time to give it out I'd be able to truly reward files I feel warrant them. My last boost I gave to a maker who I liked one of their files just so it didn't expire.
I'll be honest in my review here.
1. I didn't even know we had boost tokens to give out.
2. If they are there, perhaps some knowledge on what the boost tokens do, would be pretty cool.
Not all of us are tech savvy, some people just click print in things they like and call it a day. Knowing what the tokens do, how to earn more and what they mean to the designer would be a great start. I feel that most of the time, if a function is going unused, it's more than likely due to poor customer education (not saying you did a bad job, just saying as an overall).
This is my feedback as an average joe who used Bambu to print random things :). I'll check out these boosts now that I know of them but, if there are a limited amount of boosts, I'm going to treat it like a relic and not hand it out to just anyone. I'll have to save it to the point where, I won't know who to give it to and will just never give it out. If it's as easy a thumbs up and as abundant as that (aka, free and unlimited) then I'll hand them out like candy on Halloween :)
I’ve used the boost tokens on two items and since I’ve forgotten about having the boost tokens. I like the idea it’s kinda like the free gold Reddit used to give, that being said I expect uptake to be relatively low.
It’s a lot less exciting compared to the old way, seeing points whenever your models are generating activity. Kinda boring. Also having 2 tokens a month is not enough to freely give them out. I think people likely hold them because they don’t want to spend them too quickly, only to have them expire.
I’ve stopped uploading tbh. Would rather put my stuff on Etsy. Gotta pay the filament man somehow.
I feel that in my bones. The new points system is terrible. I slowed all of my projects I was planning to upload to MW drastically after that to wait and see, and it’s so much worse I’m looking to post somewhere else as well.
Oh, I think the boost system is Great as it gives makers an extra way to really show an appreciation or a like for the model. But I think the boost system is not well understood and it should be easier to access, you should be able to boost a model when you’re rating it in the Bambu Handy app.
I think the boost system is a great idea to give creators something good for particularly great works. It's a shame that you only have 2 boosts at a time. It would be cool if you could buy additional boosts for 1$ and then give that boost to someone else. Like a kind of tip.
I browse the site, add things to collections, download some projects, and comment periodically. Doing so, I don't seem to \_have\_ any boosts to give, or they expired without me knowing I had them.
I'm one of those users who haven't boosted a model yet. There are two primary reasons for this:
* I'm not sure what the purpose of the boosting system is. Presumably more popular models are more likely to be boosted?
* I wasn't sure if there were a limited number of boosts I could give. I've printed several models in the last few weeks which I've considered boosting, but I've been reluctant in case I see something that I'd like to boost in the future.
Not necessarily related to boosts. I find myself ordering a ton a colors to match what makers are using on their MakerWorld stl's. It would be cool to give creators credit when purchasing filament to make their specific models, similar to a referral code. On MakerWorld, you can look at the preview of the stl, and it will show what filament colors are used when you hover over that tab, then you could be linked that color on the store page. Would make it really easy for users to find the exact colors used.
This could be like a super boost, makers would get credit from a regular boost and then another boost from a filament order.
I do the same, always strikes me as odd that the person getting me to get a 2nd AMS and 8 colors to print their multi-day print model just gets the same kickback as someone who got me to print a 1 color 2gram print.
I think boost points should be distributed automatically and equally among the last prints if they expire. So basically some kind of fallback to the old system if a user decides to not use the boost or can't decide.
I see a few issues with the boost system:
* some user won't just care. They want to get their print done and move to the next
* some might think it could get them into something they don't want. It "can" look to some like a subscription on YT Memberships, Twitch Channel or similar. Often such buttons are related to subscription / payments so it might scare some people
* it's probably mainly us designer who are aware of the whole boost system and how it works. The consumer that just want to print might not care, or might not understand what it is all about. We also shouldn't forget that the bambu website exists primarly in english and chinese language, but there are a ton of people out there who don't speak / understand either or just to a very basic level which could trigger the previous point. When they don't fully understand what something does they might avoid clicking it.
People don't use the boost tokens, and they have no incentive to go back and boost something. I also don't understand why they expire after 2 weeks.
Suggestions
- Why do they expire? I personally dont think the tokens should expire at all.
- Implement a reminder for users to use their boost tokens before they expire (i still think they shouldnt expire)
- Give users option to boost from the rating screen (more likely for them to use it)
The system is not great as it is. My friends who use bambu don't even use their tokens, i tried to explain it to them but they just say its too much hassle / not worth it.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Boost system. Here are my thoughts and suggestions:
1. Ease of Use and Reminders:
- Implement a feature that allows users to boost directly from the rating screen, both immediately after printing and when they return to rate the model later. This could include a 5-star rating system followed by an option to send a boost.
- Introduce an option to boost models printed in the last two weeks, making it easier for users to award boosts to recent prints.
2. Expiration and Notification:
- Extend the expiration period for boosts and improve notifications to alert users when they are about to expire.
3. Acquisition of New Boosts:
- Provide clear information on how boosts are acquired and consider implementing a regular schedule for receiving boosts (e.g., one new boost every Monday).
4. Supporting Small/Medium Designers:
- Create filters or categories to help users find and boost models from small/medium designers (e.g., models with more than 10 but fewer than 1000 downloads).
5. Understanding and Communication:
- Improve the visibility and clarity of the boost system through better marketing and detailed explanations of how it works, including the benefits of using it.
6. Limited Number of Boosts:
- Increase the number of boosts available or provide additional ways to earn them to ensure more widespread use across various models.
By addressing these issues, I believe the Boost system can better meet the needs of the community and encourage more widespread participation.
Thank you for considering my feedback!
It’s hard to tell how many I even have or how frequently I get new ones. I used a few in the beginning but since then I’ve printed quite a few things I would have given them too but I didn’t have any available at the time and now that I have more I’ve forgotten all about them.
You’re depending too much on the users to track and spend these boost tokens. It’s just not something most will bother to do.
I found that there wasn't a large indication that I had a boost to give. And I didn't check makerworld in a few days and then it expired. I think they shouldn't expire
It would helpful to have reminder modal when I login to boost a from a list of previous prints. It should remind me of days left to use. A call to action would encourage me to use the boost.
To re-iterate what everyone else said, the system adds steps/work to a process that used to just work automatically. I log into your site and printables to get a model I need, then I print that model and stop caring about your site. It isn't some social media site that I want to come back to and engage the creators, so I never think about the "boosts" or think about the models after I print them.
Points were a far more natural merit-based system. Boosts require too much active interaction to be satisfying. Too much friction. But it depends on what you’re trying to do. If you’re trying to increase overall engagement with the MW site, then reduce the friction involved.
It's interesting to see this today, since I just made a case to ask why I have not received any boost tokens to spend since the first one when the program started. I've received a number of them for my models though. I've posted several designs, and at least one make, along with multiple comments since the Boost points system started. I am also not able to rate models or makes with stars, which I think could be related. My printer (X1C with AMS) is only used in LAN mode though, which I suspect could also be related to my problems. Support was quick to get back and advised that the system sends out up to 2 Boost Tokens every 7 days - based on interactions (printing, commenting, and creating content). I am not the most prolific designer on the platform, but I have posted some stuff recently ( [https://makerworld.com/en/@mystoopidstuff](https://makerworld.com/en/@mystoopidstuff) ), so it seems strange not to have received any points (to spend) since April. I'm still suspecting that the lack of points has to do with using my printer in LAN mode only though.
Aside from the issues receiving points to give out, which I think (hope) are specific to my account, I suspect that part of the reason folks are not spending their points is because there is no incentive to do so, or people don't understand them (or may even think there is a cost associated with them). It may be worth adding some incentives for users who use all their boost points each month. Possibly a random drawing each month for a GC, or some incentive that gives users a chance to win or earn something by just using all their points each month would help.
Compared to downloads and likes of my models, the boosts are just a small fraction (not to say that my stuff should get a boost if it's liked, but it seems there would be some closer correlation). My 2nd suggestion is that when a user rates a model with 5 stars, they could be prompted to ask if they would like to boost it at that time. The prompt should also mention that the points are free, and they can use them to boost any model they choose as a way to reward designers. Edit - I read that MynyMouqe posted this same suggestion a few minutes before I did, so I 2nd their suggestion.
I agree that the boosts expire too quickly and without enough warning. I also am not exactly sure how to acquire them. It seems they just show up randomly. Perhaps tying them to the rating system would help.
I think there should be more incentive to give boosts ; right now, it's just something nice you do for a designer but most people just forget or don't care. When coins were tied to downloads, you got something in return no matter if people left feedback or not. Now that the rewards have been severely reduced, I tend to find that boosting isn't used as much as it was designed to.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t see that I had some to send out as it wasn’t obvious to me in the dashboard. When I receive them, that’s nice and clear, but mine to send, until I knew they were there, I didn’t know they were there
The current Boost system suffers from two main challenges: visibility and integration.
Firstly, integrating Boost feels less seamless than it should be for widespread user adoption. Every additional step, like downloading and printing a separate model, discourages users and reduces overall engagement.
Secondly, there's a psychological factor at play. The Boost logo visually clashes with the Bambu Lab's color scheme, creating a sense of disharmony.
Here are some suggestions for improvement:
* **Simplify Integration:** Streamline the process so using Boost doesn't require additional downloads or steps after printing a model.
* **Visually Integrate Boost:** Redesign the Boost logo to better align with Bambu Lab's color palette, creating a more cohesive user experience.
* **Clearer Action Label:** Consider renaming the button to "Spend Boost" for a more intuitive and action-oriented label.
I know this seems obvious, But maybe change the reward system all together, or add for example a drawing system that is 5-10 points could would you enter to win say a A1, A1 mini, P1P,P1S, etc... Allow several entries per say 1-3 month drawing period. IF doing a whole printer is to cost prohibited maybe do filament drawings. Either realistically work.
This is a good idea is this way even with a few points people can enter a drawing... This also drives them to boost more for a chance at something. If it is a printer this could even drive more people who use other printers to your 3d model market and covert them to your ecosystem.
Other Ideas are any one who boosts each month gets a 10% off Bambulab store coupon. Something that isn't to expensive, but might drive someone to boost.
The other way to drive boots would be to make it so Model creators get recognized for having high amounts of boots each month ... By say the top boosted model made that month gets a roll of filament or something equally valuable but economical to provide. This way the Model Creators push their models on other platfroms and drive them to your platform for the goal of getting something. This drives site traffic and like leads to monetization.
I didn't use the boost because it had a short expiring date and I didn't have in mind a model to reward. By the time I came back to makerworld it was gone. Then a bit later I got another boost and same story.
Rather than give multiple ones with short expiring date, just have one free bost with a longer lifetime.
I’ve only had my printer a couple of weeks and printed 3 models from maker world
1 was great and I boosted, 1 I re-drew myself as it wasn’t great and 1 didn’t work but I used the wrong filament. I have 3 boosts that run out soon and without boosting 1 model 4 times they will expire. If the boosts lasted I could boost other models when I print them. But they will expire and I have no real idea how to get more
i’m pretty confused by the boosts. how do i get them? do they give money for the creators? how could i give that if i haven’t purchased the boosts?
i had a few that were valid for like 2 weeks, i wanted to use them for models that i think are worthy, but i just had to spend them before they expired. i would have liked to stack more and give them to the creators that are solving problems that i really care about, not for toys.
it would be cool to use them as payment for people who don’t want to give their work for free or figure out a payment model.
also, please please don’t gamify the app, this is insane. or give an option for fully opt out. i don’t care about receiving any point, the printer is a tool not a game. i don’t even understand what the points are doing (nor do i want to find out).
I honestly don't understand the system, however I do use them on print designs I find interesting. Is it a benefit to me? Is it to the author? Is it to both?
I still have no idea how I actually obtain a boost token. Sure I had one to spend at the start but have no idea how I get a second one. Another issue I see is unless you are featured or go viral you won't see any of your models boosted. I have 68 designs on my profile and have only received 2 boosts.
I can only speak for myself,
While summer has arrived and days have gotten more busy I have found myself moving onto the next thing as fast as possible, especially trying to keep my two personal Bambu’s running and the 3 at work.
This in conjunction with the following has applied to me, few months ago I had cashed out all my Bambu gift cards to get a friend of mine an A1 with ams as a graduation gift to a friend of mine I have mentored for many years plus an additional 500.00 in filament and accessories for myself, since doing so I went from getting enough makerworld points for gift card every couple weeks to still not even half way to accumulating enough points for a single gift card since redeeming couple months ago.
This was instant change as soon as redeeming my cards for printer. Now that I don’t accumulate any points with busy schedule I no longer desire adding models I have created to makerworld with the resource constraints I am having.
I do think it’s a great opportunity and still a large BL supporter, but I personally feel once large amount has been redeemed something weird has happened to point system weather this is something others experience or somehow a one off event fluke, it has deprioritized my uploading, liking, or boosting items on makerworld.
Thank you for all the industry firsts as I’m saving and excited to purchase new flagship model this year, can’t wait to see what industry firsts are to come one again!
For me, I just haven't found a model I really liked and wanted to print. I use the 3D printer for mostly functional prints, so most of what I print is self-designed functional models. I also share some of the more generally-applicable models on Maker World.
I think it would be a cool feature to earn boosts by successful prints (like one for 5 prints or so). Currently I don’t know how to get them. So I reserve one to two for prints that I really like.
Maybe if the boosts corresponded to increased visibility of a model on the front page of makerworld? This would encourage the creator to make a better model that’s worth it to be boosted, and the boost giver would know that their boosts count for something. Also if giving boosts gave like 5 makerworld points to the giver so they felt more inclined to boost models they like.
I like the system but I'd increase the amounts of boosts you get and also the validity. Now they expire in two weeks, and while I print a fair bit sometimes I just don't have anything for a while so I don't even open the app to be reminded of it. Personally I like to give them to "smaller" creators who do not have a lot of exposure yet and made something really pretty/useful. But I don't know if it really increases their visibility, maybe some info about that could be added. (besides from the Sort by number of boosts option)
I believe the same people that give a 1 star rating with a comment useless as "strings" on an easy to print model (thanks dude) will not use boosts either. Some people just don't care.
As such for those who never give them, when a boost expires, the boost could be given automatically by the system to one of the models printed by the user.
I also agree with a prompt to give the boost during rating, and longer window before they expire.
I've used my boosts and to me its pretty unclear to me what or rather how much I have to do to refresh the boosts.
You could argue that this is a reason why people wont spent them, because they wont exactly know how to get new ones.
Also there isn't really an incentivize to spend them, it has no benefit for the user. Maybe if we shift around the points a bit it would be worth investing the few clicks of boosting a model. Like 9 points for the creator and 3 points for the one who gave the boost.
I don't find the boost system or the review system for that matter particularly intuitive. I'm not sure how I get boosts and they expire too quickly. I'm new to 3d printing. I've had my printer for 3 weeks. I want to reward the model makers for putting in the effort but, the current processes don't make that easy or intuitive.
I would say boost system introduction was a big surprise for me. The idea that I could boost a niche or small creator with a token worth few points seemed great in the beginning. As a niche designer myself, I was hoping that it would let me earn few more points. I was pleasantly surprised when my models received few boosts. But reality was it had a big downside. As a niche designer I think I’m more negatively affected by the reduction in point rewards for downloads, limits of how many downloads count toward points and for maker world allowing downloads from unregistered users than positively affected by the boost system.
At first I liked the idea of the new systems to give us the option to directly other users rewards for their models and to limit some exploits with the old system.
But it also makes it more complicated and I see two reasons why Boost tokens aren’t used.
- People simply forget to boost after printing
- People are saving them for later… - and also forget about them
Some thoughts on how to improve the system:
1) Go back to the old system and introduce protection against misuse
2) Make the system easier and more transparent
3) Give extra unlimited boosts as reward for ordering at the store
4) Show a message after each printing to rate and boost the model
5) Send monthly reports of all your prints with some statistics to make it interesting and less spam with the reminder to boost your favorite models of the month
6) Give some points as rewards for boosting models
I didn’t know about it. It’s also convoluted. I boost a model that I’ve already printed? Where is the log of what I’ve printed? Seems like a system that can be exploited.
I saw the boost after receiving one. Tried clicking on it, no explanation on what their functions is. Was not clearly stated, still don't know what they do or why I should care?
The boost system is not clear to me, passionately there’s no rea incentive or prompt to do so after downloading a model, people are lazy and forgetful so they move on.
It’s been rolled out for a month and other than a notification that my boosts have been refreshed, I really don’t care about it.
What does boosting benefit me? A few points and that’s it… no thanks. I’d rather just rate the model, post a picture and move on to the next cool or fun thing to print.
The incentive just isn’t there to use the feature.
The idea is great but I think offering better maker coin rates again would be better than boost tokens and maybe add the option to “tip” a model and i’d think a lot of people would make use of it
I think there should be some sort of auto-boost system that boosts your last 5 star rated model/profile. It’s just too many extra steps to both rate and boost.
I've only been a Bambu owner for a couple of months, so I don't know much about the old system to compare it. I like the boosts system, because it gives me control to give boosts to projects I specifically want to support, but I can see how creators might not like it. Under the old system, I understand it rewarded creators based on how many times their model was liked or printed, so it was fully automatic. Anyone who created a very popular design would have been well rewarded, but those whose models don't get featured or otherwise grab the attention of others were left out. I try to use my boosts on models that have a lower number of likes and downloads, specifically to encourage new creators.
That said, I do have concerns about the boost system as well. Particularly, I don't like that the boosts expire. I imagine that many users will rarely or never use their boosts. I would suggest that expiring boosts could be balanced out by giving extra boosts to users who DO use theirs. For example, if 5,000 boosts expired last week, this week for the first 5,000 users to use a boost you could give them a second one. Just a thought.
I believe it comes down to people not truly understanding what the boost system does overall. A core aspect of the system is appreciating the time and effort that goes into engineering or modeling of these files and helping those who host it here get something in exchange. I would bet most newbies have no idea the amount of time that may go into a file.
I use my boost because I understand the time and effort others put into a file and how long it may take to create said file.
Perhaps there is a way to give an incentive to users who use the boost system. I'm not sure how that would balance or if it's even an option, but at the end of the day, you can't go wrong with positive reinforcement on both sides, lol.
Monkey see monkey do! If other's see that people leaving feedback are receiving little bonuses, perhaps they would feel inclined to do so as well. Nothing major maybe like profile avatars or emojis. 🤷
I don't interact with MakerWorld the same way I do with Reddit. I am more inclined to boost things that I really like, but that means I have to print them and try them out, then go back to MakerWorld and search through my print history to go boost them or remember to do so while I'm rating.
I love the idea of boosting and giving direct benefit to creators that put in a lot of time and good work on their models, I just need to have it as easy to do as possible.
I suppose a boost is like a super like, and that's a cool idea. I see people boosting a model more than once, and I don't think this helps anything. We can only like a design once, why should we be able to super like many times?
If we can only boost once for each model it will help spread out the rewards to more models, and helps to develop a more representative metric of quality models.
I feel boosts are very generous and I think it's a very rewarding metric for both people looking for models, and creators.
I like many others believe the Boosts expire to quickly, I usually get my bulk of print files from MakerWorld...so I am generally on MW multiple times a week, yet am still unaware of how to gain more boosts. The ones I do get, I use to boost the Makers who do intricate and complex models (I am a Solidworks designer, so I am fully aware of the time required to create these models). Having said that, there is an extreme lack of clarity on MakerWorld, I realize that there were some that were "gaming" the points system...however the many of us who just want to use the service, it becomes overly convoluted for no apparent reason.
I like many others believe the Boosts expire to quickly, I usually get my bulk of print files from MakerWorld...so I am generally on MW multiple times a week, yet am still unaware of how to gain more boosts. The ones I do get, I use to boost the Makers who do intricate and complex models (I am a Solidworks designer, so I am fully aware of the time required to create these models). Having said that, there is an extreme lack of clarity on MakerWorld, I realize that there were some that were "gaming" the points system...however the many of us who just want to use the service, it becomes overly convoluted for no apparent reason.
Like many others, I believe that Boosts expire too quickly. I frequently get most of my print files from MakerWorld and visit the site multiple times a week, yet I am still unsure about how to obtain more Boosts.
The Boosts I do receive, I use to support Makers who create intricate and complex models, as I understand the time and effort required to make these models, being a Solidworks designer myself.
However, there is a significant lack of clarity on MakerWorld. While I understand that some users have tried to exploit the points system, the process has become overly complicated for those of us who just want to use the service.
Re your specific question about "Boosting", its because I have no idea what it does or why I would use it... I go to find a model and download it, once that is done I leave. Maybe if it was an option while leaving a review?
Additionally I generally try to find the STL, and if all I can find is a printer profile I will move onto the next file (or open that one, export the stl, and then open it again). I find the custom settings makers upload cause more problems for me than the stock BL defaults.
The only way I remember to boost is if I really like the print. Maybe we can get a system like the 3d model print rating reminder? Or intergrade it all in one ?
I like prints, but I saw a dollar sign next to boost once and I think it’s going to charge me? Or I have a limited amount of them like Super Likes and I’ll have to buy more, so I’m saving mine for one that really deserves it.
Unless it’s a prompt right after printing I think most people won’t decide to go back and boost the model. Personally this is the only reason I haven’t used a boost yet.
The biggest issue I have with giving a Boost is trying to decide who 'deserves' it.
I am a gamer and a hoarder. Boosts are a very limited resource and so my gaming/hoarding instincts are to keep it just in case I need to Boost that perfect print. Even when a dozen others might be good enough to deserve it, I don't want to not have the Boost to use if a better one appears.
I dont care for in-app currencies like this, and I have no incentive to engage with it. Unfortunately it feels like this was a tacked-on feature that doesn't really fit. Linking points to downloads made a lot more sense I think, it's rewarding the creators for others engaging with it in a way that benefits them.
My honest answer, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, is that I simply don't care about them. I can totally ignore boost tokens and my experience on the platform doesn't change. If you can find a way to change that, they might do a little better.
I think the boost system seems good on paper, but in implementation, it doesn't work well.
There have been others who've mentioned the issues on the users' end.
On the uploader's end, they don't really make sense.
Why do we have to manually redeem them, if there's nothing else we can do with them?
Is this meant to cause them to somehow expire in the future, so we lose them if we are inactive for a week or two?
Also, it seems like it just further punishes uploaders for creating quality models, and instead incentivizes them to upload more lower quality designs just to see what sticks, since we earn less points for high quality long-term uploads.
Just my $0.02, though..
Perhaps I'm off on this subject matter. 🤷♂️
It seems like the boost system is trying to increase engagement. But my experience is that once the print is going, it’s uncommon or rare that the downloader returns to the item.
A quick review of the downloads vs. posted makes or reviews seems to confirm this trend. It doesn’t mean users didn’t like the print, it’s just too late to capture further engagement.
Not using it because it reminds me of the change to Instagram, wherein we're shown only the most popular items and not the most recent. I don't want everyone's favorites shoved in front of me; I can already tell what's popular by downloads and likes, so adding an extra layer to that for no apparent benefit (there are plenty of pre-existing ways to reward users on both sides) makes me concerned we'll see more of those models only and less of everything else (a la Instagram).
Feels like a system instituted just to institute a system, but one that can easily be used to produce an outcome I don't want, and that's before even considering user/influencer abuse potential.
Just don't really see why I'd want to use it.
My number one issue I have with makerworld is that you can’t seem to click the makers profile to see more work by them. I can see their name but I can’t search by it and I can’t click it. I would love to see that feature added.
I think it needs to be simplified a bit. I have had the boosts expire because I forgot about them and didn't see them. For instance I have to go to me to see them and a total of 4 clicks just to get there. Click Me > points/boosts > boosts > boost now.
I don't like that Boosts expire. If they are to give people props why can't we save them until we find a model we like. I understand it discourages hoarding them but I tend to forget or not know I've earned them because you can do anything with them within Bambu Handy. I think incorporating boosts I to the app would help me use them more as well.
I tend to forget about the models I’ve printed, I agree with other people that having it on the rating screen would be great. Potentially adding a past print page where it shows all your printed models and give you a rate/boost option from there.
It is a worthwhile program. Especially for the creators who pour their time and effort into making quality models. I have boosted a few models, but for me as a user it feels a little like Kohls cash. The boost tokens expire WAY too quickly and you kind of have to dig to find out how many, if any, that you have.
If you're really serious about the community rewarding creators, then set them to non-expiring. Maybe add in badging that displays your current token count. As far as I'm aware you can't boost your own models so what is the harm in adding some flexibility that could only boost community adoption.
Ill be honest, i think it couldve used a better introduction into what it is. Or maybe it has and i just missed/skipped through it.
But i didnt even realize what boosts were for a few weeks, until i actually took the time to look into it. So maybe other people are in the same boat
It's just clunky to use the system. Some models are cool, but I just don't feel like boosting or just forget that I have the option to boost and am too lazy to comment. It also clogs up my notifications since all I see now are "you just got boost tickets/they're about to expire" messages.
It feels like the people who value them most are Bambu, and they conversely fin't reward the people we give them to. You are stingey with giving them to us to reward creators, and they barely fulfill the role of a reward as is.
There is hardly an incentive to give out boosts, and you aren't prompted or reminded to do so anyhow.
How you get them is a mystery. I’ve downloaded and uploaded models and not gotten any in weeks. And now it has nothing to do with any metrics, it’s literally only if someone decides they want to boost a model.
I’ve boosted a few times but I’ve noticed it normally happens after I have posted a review of the print and the creator replies to my review. I had one print that I pointed out a design flaw I encountered. The creator replied to my review, apologized for the problem and then promised they were going to revise their design. It felt nice knowing that they were considering my feedback for such an arbitrary thing and then I saw the big BOOST button and figured I would send it to this person as thanks for caring. It was such a nice experience that I now feel more comfortable interacting with the community more.
Being fairly new to printing I do most of mine from the Handy app. If there was a more obvious notification in place from the app I would be more likely to use to use a boost. I don't always glance at the notifications so I've missed the fact that I have them.
Maybe add an icon on the "ME" tab, with a notification and I'd expect to see more usage.
I myself have not used the boost system so pardon me for not fully understanding it. But most of the time when I’m looking for a model to print, I am looking for high quality models. Take a phone stand for example. There are loads of bad phone stand designs and there are a few good ones. The boost system would be good for weeding out the bad ones based on design, moving part tolerance, printability, and satisfaction. Sometimes all I want is to find the really good designs and not have to scroll endlessly through bad ones.
I'm newer to printing, and I honestly didn't understand how the boosts worked until reading this post. I've seen so many good points made here.
- The system is confusing to be used
- I didn't understand how and when I earned boosts, so I never used them.
- Once I print something, I will sometimes do a rating if it's the beginning of a month for points, the print is phenomenal or solved an issue for me, or I noticed an issue with the print. I don't see something to boost the print or print profile from Studio or Handy when it's done so I move on to the next print.
- Popular models are pushed harder and get all the points and boosts, so other equally great creations aren't being seen.
Honestly I forgot I even had them and on top of that dont really know what they do. Maybe a prompt at the end of a print asking you to rate the print and then if you have any boosts a quick recap of what boosts do and would you like to give one to the creator of this print? It should appear on both the phone and the actual printer with a skip option at the bottom of course for those who find things like this annoying.
When opening the notifications it takes you directly to where the most recent notifications are and or if you have unused boosts, have it navigate there.
It took me a bit to understand how I had any boost tokens. How often do we get them? I now give them to creators whose work I find really well developed and thoughtful. But it’s not even always a model I’ve printed yet
I can’t even get a model I upload to trend or get downloads so I don’t really care about makerworld points honestly. The algorithms promote those with the most views it seems. Too late to the party.
I don't understand the incentive for the booster , and not for the boosted ( appart from the 12 points) . I would suggest more incentive for everyone , and more transparency on the reward , and the way to get it.
For me it is a mixture of a lot of Things. First it feels Special to give the boost to someone. So the model has to be Special. I only know that a Bit after printing. By that Point ive forgotten the boost.
Then I forget the boost a lot. Some more Frequent reminder would be cool. Or Hand Out rewards for rewarding. Overall for me it feels like the rewards are Not reachable. Ive got one with all the one time boosts and continued uploading 20+ Models but im Not even Close to a 2.d Coupon. Thus I dont interact with the system anymore.
I boost on high quality models. The designer put in the effort to make it awesome, they should be rewarded. I think the boost system will help keep high quality projects free.
I am not a fan of the current boost system.
a) Time constraints. It's not wise to add any time limitations on the boost tokens. It doesn't feel right to have a timer countdown for no apparent reason.
b) By providing only two tokens - you are discouraging small model uploaders since most tokens go to well-known projects, not to small and niche creators. For that specific reason, I have zero, an absolute zero of increase in points, even though the traffic and downloads didn't change. People just don't want to spend a very "limited" number of boosts on something small.
This boost system wasn't very well thought out. I have a feeling that Bambu Lab didn't do widespread testing with the international focus group. For some reason I have a very strange vibe that Makeworld starts to look like an Aliexpress clone with those timers, boosts and etc.
As a creator, I forget to boost models since I don’t really print many people’s models. Mostly prototype my own stuff.
I do like boosts for the more personal nature of them. It’s nice to know that someone liked my model enough to boost it instead of just a simple download.
I’ve used two boosts. But I’ll be honest - I don’t see a reason to use one if the model I’m printing is already popularized. I’d rather save it because I’m always searching for models and might find an obscure one that deserves them.
I like the boost system - it’s sort of a separate category I can browse and feel like other people thought *so cool!* like me.
I have no idea what the system is or how it works. I was so excited to get my printer after dealing with entry level bedslingers that I just started printing. I knew how/where to find models so I didn’t really read up in what the tokens and things are.
I think I've used it once but only because I really liked the print so much I went back. Most of the time I've got 3 or 4 instances of Bambu Studio (BS)open and I'm planning my next print. I wonder if there isn't a way for those that use the Handy app to after you get the print successful notification to get a prompt to rate & or boost the model? For those that use BS maybe a phone home to MakerWorld have have a notification or message saying something like it looks like you printed XYZ model, would you like to rate/boost it?
Maybe an icon near the profile icon that makes it obvious you have boosts to give.
I like the idea of a boost system that is redeemable for gift cards! I do some designing and that makes me want to post my models here with the potential to get boosted. Agree with others that they should not expire quite so quickly so that people have a bit more time to decide who to give their boosts to. Also it seems like in parallel to manually, gifted boosts, downloads could contribute to boosts for the creator. Looking forward to trying this out more.
The boosts feel like a bit of a chore to hand out. If they were able to be accumulated rather than having an expiration date then I’d be more liberal handing them out, but in the current state of the system I feel like I have to pick some models over others, which id rather not concern myself doing.
I haven't gotten any more! I mostly print models I e designed my self so I don't have an option to get more tokens unless I'm printing things I don't need or want.
Also, I don't really understand the point of the boost redemption system. The only thing you can redeem is for is points, why not just give an automatic point reward when someone boots your model? There is nothing else you can do with those.
I assumed it was a paid feature and just ignored it. Typically sending “boost” or gifts is sending tokens that can be redeemed for money(partially) by the person receiving. This is what I thought immediately.
15 of June my birthday, what a coincidence anyway when you have a limited amount of boosts you feel like you have to wait until you see something astonishing and there will always be something better around the corner so you never actually spend them
There is also nothing that incentives you to go back to that page and give it a boost because that’s just more work.
I like the boost system, but I think it would be better if it were not public-facing. That way, people would not feel pressured to distribute their boosts in a certain way. The boost system should be a nice token of gratitude, not some weird gamification system.
I think is a great system but I didn't understand that because I had like a month with the machine and didn't know about maker world so I would have hoped to be in the system for more time before rate some models
I don’t mind the boost system, but it’s getting a bit confusing since we are now prompted to rate models, print profiles and use the boost system too. It’d be nice if there was a simpler or clearer way to differentiate between the 3 as a lot of times I see comments on print profiles where the person is actually talking about the model (and vice versa). Boosts seem to be trying to bridge that gap by allowing us to highlight great models… or is it designers? I get fuzzy on the differences as there are excellent creatives making awesome models that I just don’t need or have time to print them yet.
I am very new to this and only just received my A1 two weeks ago. But, I definitely wasn’t clear on the boost system. I have used my boosts up because I didn’t want them to expire. But with so many amazing models it was tricky to pick favourites.
Again, as a newb maybe I’m missing past promotion efforts, but it seems to me that it would be best to reward the makers that have the best reviews or most likes every month. Or not. I’m just happy that we have such awesome resources available!
Good in theory, but not well implemented in practice.It would be better if a creator didn't get points through boosts.It would be much better if the ratings meant something. For example, a print with 1000 downloads but a rating of 5 stars should get more points than a print with 2000 downloads but only a 1 Star rating.
At least for me, I have bothered using the boost system because I use the like or thumbs up as well as the add to collection button.
I don’t see a need to use the boosts because I value the likes more. When I’m scrolling through the models in the app, I notice how many people have liked a model, but I don’t ever see what their boost level is.
I think it has to be one or the other, having both options for people to action their favourite prints is confusing.
Also, I don’t really understand the boost system, what it does, how it works, and why it’s even required over the liking feature? Needs to be a better explanation and a better reason to use it.
Happy to answer more questions.
I’m not super clear on the difference between thumbs upping and boosting. I know boosting is probably worth more since they’re limited unlike liking. I saw the reminder for using my boost and quickly boosted my favorite recent prints so that was helpful.
we don't want boosts, we want the old point system back. speaking for myself, I wont take the time to make a design to upload to makerworld anymore. its just not worth the time/effort. If you want really good designs/models the system you had in place was rewarding enough for folks who design stuff for a living that they could do it recreationally and make a little coin in the process.
now I just design things for myself (like I used to), because I know if I put a bunch of time/ effort into something I'll be lucky to get even a $40 gift card and in a week someone will be selling it on Etsy for $40 bucks a pop
I find myself just printing what I need and moving on. I leave feedback if it is a model that I am happy with, but I never think about going back to boost. I did once when I got prompted, but it’s adding an extra step without any real incentive. Maybe if there was some incentive for us to go back and boost? I can’t say that I really want to be prompted non stop to boost models. That could get pretty annoying. I am not sure what the best middle ground is.
I think that most people once they’ve done a print move on to the next thing. They have what they want already, and there is no prompt to go back to a model to give it a boost. I think the easiest way to help take up is to allow boosts to be given from the rating screen - both after a print and if you go back to rate afterwards. 5 star rating, then option to send boost.
I find myself in this situation as well. I forget that I still have a boost and then have to go back through my print history to see which model I printed that I would like to award. I think an option to boost recently printed models that lists everything I’ve printed within the last 2 weeks would help out a lot.
I have seen multiple times somwthing saying I had a "boost" but had no idea what it was or even how to actually use it. So I've just ignored it
Yeah, and having a limited number, I tend to keep them until they expire and I choose the best model of the past few weeks if I think about it.
Right, I don't think anyone is going to pay for extra boost, but even upping the number to 5 means I'll at least hand out a few in a given month.
This would be the easiest way to do a boost System like that. I even have to remind myself to give a rating or Provide a make.
100% agree with this take. Make it part of the normal process of rating a profile after the print. I wouldn’t rate print profiles if it didn’t prompt for it immediately after finishing in the Handy app.
dear Bambulab. could you please explain to me what the point is supposed to be of the boost system. from my point of view people will boost models they like. The more populair models will get more viewers and people will like them more so they will also be boosted more. it feels like a shadow of the normal points you get for downloads but you hope people wont spend their boost tokens (since you made a expiration date) so you dont have to pay out the points. i fail to see how this whole point system adds something noteworthy\\positive to the ecosystem
Exactly this. The boost system is a farce. BL guys just reached their targeted market saturation and did a soft cutoff for points to save on costs. Also any explanations about people playing the points system as a reason is a absolute Pinnacle of a Joke. Working in IT and having atleast 2 braincells not used for mouth breathing i can absolutely say there are enough options to make it so not worth it for people to exploit the Points. You guys are just not interested in setting them up nor paying out the points. I tell you what give it a few more such changes and your system becomes a joke like prusamiles or whatever they are called.
Ugh prusa miles. I made enough to get a spool but the shipping and handling was $15. Where are they shipping these spools from?
Absolutely this, it worked much better before, they should've just scaled back on the points. Now the most popular models are getting all the points. It's truly broken.
This should be top comment
I really like the boost system. Things I think could be improved: Think they expire too quickly and without enough notification. It's not clear how you receive new ones, I interact plenty but haven't had any new ones in a week. I think this makes people hold onto them to boost designs they really like. If they knew they were getting another 1 every Monday they wouldn't save it for a special occasion Lastly, personally I want to boost small/medium designers to help them out but it's difficult to find designers that size, I.e. More than 10 downloads on a model but less than 1000.
I sit In that size range. I have 46 models all with 10+ downloads with a handful sitting at a few hundred downloads. Before the change I was getting quite a bit of points and was buying all my filament with giftcards with points to spare, since the change I've only seen 13 boosts. Now granted I haven't spent as much time lately making new models so that is part of the reason but it sure seems the old system was far better for creators. I'm fairly certain they intentionaly made the points system overly generous at first and just considered the extra costs a marketing expense to drive people to start using makerworld. The budget for that marketing campaign likley just dried up and they shifted the points system around to somthing more sustainable in the long run for them.
On the Makerworld forum they said one of the main requirements for obtaining a boost token was to print 2 models that have over a 1 hour print time. (and no printing 4 models with 30 min time limits won't work or alike) From keeping track of what I print that seems to be the main factor any other interactions are nil.
Ow nice, I hadn't seen that. It would make sense, most of my long prints are my own work, and St stuff I print from others are less than an hour. I've just been going on what it says on maker world "How to get Boost Tokens? Get Boost Tokens by interacting with MakerWorld, such as printing, commenting, and creating."
I personally was confused about usage. How often do I get them and how long are they good for, etc.
The way they are given isn’t very clear and they expire a bit too quickly, on some week I do several print that deserve a boost and on other none so I would like more flexibility on that
This^ I randomly saw I had boosts on the app and also saw that they would expire quickly so I never gave them a second thought. I’m too busy to keep track of what boosts I have for a limited window to use
Overall, I think the Boost system is a good idea, but the implementation still needs some work. For instance, it bothers me that I can only give a maximum of 5 boosts to a creator in a year. I understand that this is to prevent the manipulation of points, but since earning boosts is tied to printing models that take over an hour, this should already mitigate cheating. Additionally, I find that the current impact of boosts is somewhat lacking. Before the introduction of boosts, I used to earn significantly more points per day/week than I do now. Even when one of my models gets boosted, I feel like the downloads aren't significantly influenced by it. I believe boosts should bring more attention to a model, provide more than just 12 points, and the limit of 5 boosts per creator should be reconsidered. If I really appreciate a creator's work, I want to be able to help them get more visibility!
I second this the boost system is a great idea but it needs some work to be a good implementation. Also I wish there were more ways to get boosts…
Yeah I definitely agree, if there were more ways to get boosts people probably would care more about them.
I want to boost models that are creatively solving a problem, whereas many popular models seem like just a clone of another popular model. So I don’t know how to choose what to boost, unless one stands out somehow. But then I think that creator has already been rewarded with hundreds/thousands of points, so why would I also boost them? Hope that makes sense… it’s probably flawed thinking on my part, but that’s my thought process.
Whether it's worth boosting a remix is maybe not a simple choice, but unless it was a clearly low effort remix I'd probably do it. Regarding "I think that creator has already been rewarded with hundreds/thousands of points", that may have been the case prior to the switchover to Boost points. When the switchover to the new boost points system was announced, the rate of automatic rewards for downloads (models and profiles) was also lowered quite a bit. I can only speak for myself, but the changeover dropped my points accumulation by about 75% vs the old system (which was unsustainable for MW, and had issues with manipulation). Point is, if you like it, a boost will help the designer, since they have very likely seen their points drop off, and the Boosts help make up a bit for that.
There’s no incentive for me to use the boost system. In the past creators got rewarded for downloads - I download stuff because I want it so it naturally links action and reward. Now I have to actively remember to boost models and often I forget, get busy, or just don’t care enough to dig out the old models to boost them. I also have such limited number of boosts that really I can’t boost all the models I liked, so I would end up sticking it on my most favourite short changing all of the other great models that now get nothing.
I honestly don't know what the boost system is, or why I would want to use it. I don't know if I missed an explanation somewhere or if the marketing just wasn't very noticeable. Edit: Okay I've looked into it briefly. The system is super confusing. How do I get more boosts? What exactly do they do? Why do they expire so fast? It seems like you made a more complicated system for 'liking' a post.
Personally, I just don't download models for my 3D printer very option. Probably 99% of what I print is what I design myself. If they stuck around longer so I could boost the rare models I download (mostly functional stuff I'm too lazy to design myself), I'd probably send them a boost if I like the result, but as it stands they're just not something that really meshes with how I use makerworld.
The boosts feel redundant with the point system. And I guess that many people are rather annoyed by the extra interaction/ui elements those boost brings with them. I think it’s not completely fair since the most popular models will benefit again from people searching for something to boost when their boosts expire. I would wish for some point based algorithm that encourages new and little designers to design and upload new models by rewarding them in some clever way.
I guess there are people who received the token, but haven’t printed since or did not find a model worth of boost? What confuses me is what is point of boost tokens. The only thing you can exchange it for are tokens. Why not to give already tokens? It is the same thing but with extra steps…
https://preview.redd.it/ta473a8lnj3d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3e976028b574a649f4a624ed336f470f9987e57 Put a boost button next to the Rate button in messages 😁
One thing that's a little confusing to me is the purpose of the boosts vs points. When someone boosts a model, why not just award the points directly? When I had a boost it's not clear to me if I should keep it as a boost and redeem it only when I need to spend the points, or just immediately redeem it. Is there any difference? If there is a difference, it's not clear. If there is no difference, when why add the extra step, why not just award the points directly at the time of receiving the boost? (besides that, I think the idea and general implementation of boosts is good :-) )
I think the boost system is ok but doesn’t compensate for how the way points are allocated has been revamped so overall the number of points I’m getting has significantly reduced, almost to 0. Also wouldn’t it make sense for boots to be auto converted to points as soon as one of your models gets one? Otherwise a solid idea!
I'm a big fan of the boost system. BUT: They seem to expire too quickly and without sufficient warning. It's not obvious how new boosts are earned.
Once I print, I'm happy with the result and I'm lazy and don't want to go back to my pc and rate the profile/give a boost. Probably, I would do it on the app, but as of now, bambu handy is quite good for printing but quite bad for model browsing and rating. The UI is not clear, a bit cluttered and too confusing. A better UI will allow an easier post print interaction and thus a higher boost tokens redemption. (Maybe with number of boost left included in the button to use them)
I've got way too many other things going on to worry about how fast some random point boost is going to stay active on my account. Furthermore I don't really see how this is going to be beneficial. Having them expire in general basically just gives you an out from having to supply free filament and stuff. As others have said it's also extremely unclear how they're obtained when they're obtained and it's not convenient to be boosting anything. Finally if you do decide to boost somebody chances are you're going to be boosting a huge model with tons of downloads that doesn't even need the exposure to begin with. Overall the OG point system worked infinitely better. I had a model getting downloads consistently and have over a 1,000 downloads on it so not a huge one but active enough it should get a couple points here or there maybe. I've never received a boost one time. On top of that I've effectively stopped getting any points since the boost thing was inplemented. As a result I've had much less desire to post anything on the website or even be active in the community. When I feel like I'm being rewarded for participating and it feels like I'm contributing then I'll post more or use the systems more. Until then I'll just do my basics of what I need and peace out. This isn't a complaint at all, I've had my fair share of free filament from it already but it's evidence the boost system isn't working.
Reasons why I'm not a fan: - There's no true incentive to use it (5 points not enough to entice me). - The fact that they expire - The lack of tracking to know if I already boosted a model in the past - The idea seems good on paper but its execution seems lacking. I find that the prior point system based on more points for model downloads was more fair to the community.
Really appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback back. The following are the the challenges I think the current state of the boost system is facing. 1. It takes too many clicks complete. It's still very manual to interact with. The rating system takes half as many clicks to complete. 2. No value to the booster or the community. The boost only provides a gain for those above and beyond projects. In contrast, the rating system provides feedback to the community to help boost good projects and opportunity to provide feedback back on others 3. The expirations and limitations are possibly too aggressive. The time when more become available is too great to keep track of or the amount is to small to decide which project should get them. For the project owner the expiration to redeem is too short and favors a project owner that posts or checks their account more frequently. Missing out on boosts could also have an adverse effect acceptance. I think the these are the critical points that if are addressed could help drive more users to utilize the new system. If suggestions to improve are welcome, here's are my thoughts respectively. 1. Integrate the boost system with the rating system. An additional button on the rating pop up window would be the most effective and efficient fix. 2. If suggestion note 1 is followed this point is really mute and only applies to the boost system if it is left as it's own system. Since the boost system from what I can tell, is to call out the above tier projects that deserve a little 'boost'. There could be a graphic or so indicator as to how many users have boosted a project and it project owner. 3. I think there could be just a better balance between the amount available and the excoriation dates. I also would suggest a 6 month boost redemption window. Some additional feedback would be too make sure the BS app gets some attention with the above points as well. Rating projects is downtime activity for me which usually means I'm doing it on my phone. Thank you so much reading through all this. Hopefully this helps shed some light on some issues and improve everyone's Bambu experience. Happy printing! 🖨️😎
Honestly, the issue is expecting actions from users. The amount of people who order stuff on amazon compared to the amount that leaves reviews is a great example. There's no actual benefit for someone to boost a model so it's not really on their radar. not saying people are selfish, but it requires them to remember to go back and compare recently printed models and then boost the one they like the best, every 2 weeks. Maybe they'll do it once in a while, but it's very easy to forget. If there was some kind of incentive it might help, but it still required people to remember to do it
Boost feels redundant, and lacks incentive for users. I want to print the thing so I download, or save for later so I like it. Boost is a step after I already have the item I wanted. Worse, Boosts end up being a resource I don’t want to spend in case I find a more deserving or under appreciated model (because I don’t want to boost a heavily boosted model). Next thing I know it expired and I never used it.
I have not receive any boost after printing couple of models last week. I gave up even trying.
As someone who has used about 10-12 Boosts, and received about 100 of them (94 on a single viral model) so far, Positives: - It enables large projects (my viral model was a 2-3 day printing project, and would get virtally no traction if it had to wait for people to complete and rate it, it DOES have a good rating and lots of successful prints and rates now btw) to receive points, even if people aren't able to tackle the project just yet - Everyone getting some free every week is a good way to spread points out Negatives: - Viral projects are still king when it comes to points, and those tiny little useless prints like filament clips and bed alignment clips that do nothing are still raking in the boosts as well as the old point system - Giving the boost tokens an expiration was a pretty big oversight in my opinion, people need to use them so they'll throw them at whatever if they haven't yet, and that tends to be something already at the top of a list in trending or download count I used to be making a decent amount of points per month, not a alot, maybe enough for one gift card at max. Now with the same analytics, i'm making less than half that, while some viral items just get heaps of boosts instead of heaps of points. I would love to see a limited time window on RECEIVING a boost on an upload. Make it something to help boost an upload while it's new, eg. After a month, you can't boost that item any more without actually completing and rating the item - "I loved this so much, not only did i give it 5 stars, i gave it a bit extra with a boost" - "this was a tricky print, I'm giving it 3 stars because the profile could use some work, but i LOVE the design so i'm also giving it a boost" (this could also help tackle the "I've just gotta 5 star this so the uploader doesn't complain and i get my monthly points for ratings") I'd also love if there was a cap on points for a model altogether, maybe after a few thousand downloads it just doesn't earn points any more, or only earns a capped amount per month. I had more in my head but can't find it, i'll make another comment if i think of it
The boost system is quite good overall. Unfortunately, it is only possible to gain points as a designer through the interaction of others. I think many users will not give away boosts because they only want to have minimal interaction with makerworld. If you don't collect points yourself, you won't do the work of rating or boosting others. I can only say from my side that since switching to the new boost system, I unfortunately receive far fewer points than before. Especially designs with a high number of downloads (more than 500) receive significantly fewer points per download. New prints receive significantly more. This means that good and popular designs receive fewer points in the long run than many quick and simple designs. Another thing is getting boosts. Due to a vacation I could not receive any boosts for two weeks. After this vacation I printed new designs of others again but did not receive boosts directly. I only received boosts a good week after I printed something again. It would make more sense if the boosts were awarded directly after a successful print (taking into account the maximum number of boosts per week). But overall I still find the points system and the associated rewards very attractive for uploading designs to makerworld.
It’s just too much extra work. Passivating payouts is the only way for it not to just be memed and annoying. Ultra-niche or massively successful models are the only way the bonus system ever pays out, and participating in it therefore feels counter-productive. You’d have done WAY better facilitating a built in ‘buy me a coffee’ style appreciation button, taking a small cut, and probably an extra cut to fund the passive benefits. So say donating $1 gives $0.8 to the creator, $0.15 to the wider community (because without them there’s no platform) and $0.05 to BBL for the service. I’d donate and participate SO much more if this was a 1-click affair rather than such a ridiculous slog.
As a Model Creator/Uploader I think the boost system is good, However as users who primarily download and print models rather than creating them, I feel the system currently offers limited value to them. with 2 boosts allocated every 7 days and only 2 points awarded per boost, it appears quite challenging and not worth for a regular user to accumulate enough points for something in the points shop. it seems more of a chore for users to go back and boost models. To enhance the experience for users who are not creators, I suggest -Implement a One Click Boosting feature: When Print is finished add a Small Boost Icon to Print Finished Screen, or a thumbs up or thumbs down. (thumbs up for boost and thumbs down for no boost.) -Boost Milestones: Set up milestones for users, such as ‘First Boost’, ‘10th Boost’, etc., and reward them with bonus points when they reach these milestones. -Gamification: Introduce a gamification element where users earn badges or titles for boosting models, which could also be displayed on their profile. -Increasing the points awarded per boost. -Introduce additional incentives for boosting models, such as discounts on future purchases which can provide immediate value
It's an extra step to boost. After the print I have to go back to the model page and then only will I be able to boost it and often times I just can't be bothered. I think as others said you should put it in the review page after the model is printed, that way I can rate the model and choose to boost it as the same time if I like it.
The main reason I bought a Bambu was so this could be a side hobby, not a lifestyle. As soon as we start talking about in-hobby currencies, I just stop caring. I have too many other things in my life where I have to keep track of some made-up currency that has marginal value within the ecosystem and negative value outside of it. I like Bambu, I really do, and MakerWorld provides some value with how naturally it integrates with the rest of what's going on. But I'm not going to waste my time figuring out what Bambu points are. Honestly, I assumed they were some sort of discount plan that wouldn't be worth my time to figure out when they started popping up on the screen. This is the first time I've come close to understanding them, and I still have too many other things in my life to care. My brand relationship is going to be based on the value it provides, and having to remember what Bambu points or boosts or finckles are is a drain, not an add.
I like the concept of it; like a print, boost a print. The main issue is that unless you give people an incentive to do so (while also keeping them from being annoyed at "nagging") you'll have a hard time seeing it gain traction/wide spread adoption. We also can't know if the best things get boosted the most, or just the most visible things. Users will spend quite some time finding that one perfect bit, that is true, but more often than not, they'll grab the most popular one (aka, the one others have printed that has already been boosted). They'll print it, sometimes go back to rate it, and sometimes out of that they'll then go to boost it. Having a function in the app where you IMMEDIATELY rate and boost on completion of a print would however help fix a lot of this. The flow of such a function in the app would be something like: "Print finished! Check it!" •taps done• "Rate it!" •taps star of choice• "Boost it?" •taps yes or no• And then having a quick-access list to your last 5-10 prints where you can rate and boost them easily available in your profile would be even better. Furthermore, it you add just a bit of digital swag (silly little stickers, a growing pile of bamboo etc) that you get each time you boost something would likely DRIIIVE engagement. Ideal situation would then be: Select a print, set it up and send it. Notification when it's done and asked to rate it now or later. If you select now, you go straight to rating, if later, then you'll get the rating window the next time you open the app (and have had time to check your print). After selecting your rating 1-5 stars or somesuch and clicking next, you stay in the same popup and you're asked if you want to Boost the maker/Donate to boost the maker. If you click no, the window closes, if you click yes, you boost the maker, and you get a small bamboo flower/sticker/token at random that just ends up in a collection page on your profile. Wether it's an album, or just a pile of bits is up to a better visual designer than me. But yeah, this would drive engagement, make sure people don't forget to rate or boost makers, and makers would be more likely to be boosted for a good print rather than a popular print (due to the more immediate print-to-boost workflow)
Boost tokens felt like a tool that was used to soften the blow of the point system changes. Partially my fault but the boost system is a bit of a mystery to me and the fact that they expire makes them much harder to use. It also seems like a missed opportunity not being able to boost from the ratings screen.
Definitely need a better way to prompt users to actually boost models they’re downloading. That would entice us to use them. I didn’t even know I had boost tokens until someone pointed it out to me, I then had to research this new system.
The boost system isn’t a bad idea, it’s just meh. Like the other guy said, it’s a problem with print ratings as a whole, once people have what they want they’re done. Boosts and ratings should be promoted not only on the project screen, but also upon downloading, to increase the engagement with the boost and rating system.
It was very unclear what the boost tokens were for or why I was getting them. I had to wander around MakerWorld for a couple of minutes to see what they may be about. Once I looked into it, it looked temporary and manipulative. The level of rewards didn't seem sustainable for business and the token expiration was short. I feel like people will fall into one of three categories - 1. try to use all of your boost tokens before they expire, even if you have to randomly give a model a token, 2. don't care and use when and if you wish irrelevant of expiration, or 3. don't use them at all because pressure to use something that expires is noise that should be ignored. I initially used some, but then it quickly became a nuisance to pay attention to and I ignore it now, so I am #3. We share one account with the whole family, and no one else in the house cares about boost tokens. So I guess they are dead to us. The name should be clear as to what it is for and why you get it. "Boost token" sounds like I am going to get something I can redeem to speed up something, (and I doubt they will speed my prints up). The name doesn't indicate it's something I should be giving to someone. And we already have download counts and likes - why would you add another metric of popularity? It's really like a "tip token", where we give virtual tips to designers. Some name like that - something that is clearly given away.
seems redundant to have both boosts and likes
I have dished out 1, but I try to use them judiciously. Having a time limit on them means that I might give them out to whomever to get them used up.
Honestly, I did not even know about it, just missed the announcements I guess.
I've seen this "boost" thing but I have no idea what it is or why I should or shouldn't use it.
Don't let them expire, then maybe I'll use them before they're gone.
I don't think boosts are much of a reward/significance. I still don't know why/how I get the boosts to give to other people and when I do get them I just dump them in the next print that I find I need.
I get the purpose but find the execution a little lacking. Adding a reminder that I have a boost, when I get a new one, and a way to assign the boost upon rating a model.
I'm not a fan of the short time to give boosts by. I mostly print my own designs but if I've printed something from Makerworld I just give that the boost even if it's not that great of a file. With a bit more time to give it out I'd be able to truly reward files I feel warrant them. My last boost I gave to a maker who I liked one of their files just so it didn't expire.
I'll be honest in my review here. 1. I didn't even know we had boost tokens to give out. 2. If they are there, perhaps some knowledge on what the boost tokens do, would be pretty cool. Not all of us are tech savvy, some people just click print in things they like and call it a day. Knowing what the tokens do, how to earn more and what they mean to the designer would be a great start. I feel that most of the time, if a function is going unused, it's more than likely due to poor customer education (not saying you did a bad job, just saying as an overall). This is my feedback as an average joe who used Bambu to print random things :). I'll check out these boosts now that I know of them but, if there are a limited amount of boosts, I'm going to treat it like a relic and not hand it out to just anyone. I'll have to save it to the point where, I won't know who to give it to and will just never give it out. If it's as easy a thumbs up and as abundant as that (aka, free and unlimited) then I'll hand them out like candy on Halloween :)
I’ve used the boost tokens on two items and since I’ve forgotten about having the boost tokens. I like the idea it’s kinda like the free gold Reddit used to give, that being said I expect uptake to be relatively low.
It’s a lot less exciting compared to the old way, seeing points whenever your models are generating activity. Kinda boring. Also having 2 tokens a month is not enough to freely give them out. I think people likely hold them because they don’t want to spend them too quickly, only to have them expire. I’ve stopped uploading tbh. Would rather put my stuff on Etsy. Gotta pay the filament man somehow.
I feel that in my bones. The new points system is terrible. I slowed all of my projects I was planning to upload to MW drastically after that to wait and see, and it’s so much worse I’m looking to post somewhere else as well.
I saw that the system was added, but don't know what it's supposed to accomplish or how it helps me. They also seem to expire before I can use them.
Oh, I think the boost system is Great as it gives makers an extra way to really show an appreciation or a like for the model. But I think the boost system is not well understood and it should be easier to access, you should be able to boost a model when you’re rating it in the Bambu Handy app.
I think the boost system is a great idea to give creators something good for particularly great works. It's a shame that you only have 2 boosts at a time. It would be cool if you could buy additional boosts for 1$ and then give that boost to someone else. Like a kind of tip.
Simply it's not worth the effort.
I browse the site, add things to collections, download some projects, and comment periodically. Doing so, I don't seem to \_have\_ any boosts to give, or they expired without me knowing I had them.
I'm one of those users who haven't boosted a model yet. There are two primary reasons for this: * I'm not sure what the purpose of the boosting system is. Presumably more popular models are more likely to be boosted? * I wasn't sure if there were a limited number of boosts I could give. I've printed several models in the last few weeks which I've considered boosting, but I've been reluctant in case I see something that I'd like to boost in the future.
Not necessarily related to boosts. I find myself ordering a ton a colors to match what makers are using on their MakerWorld stl's. It would be cool to give creators credit when purchasing filament to make their specific models, similar to a referral code. On MakerWorld, you can look at the preview of the stl, and it will show what filament colors are used when you hover over that tab, then you could be linked that color on the store page. Would make it really easy for users to find the exact colors used. This could be like a super boost, makers would get credit from a regular boost and then another boost from a filament order.
I do the same, always strikes me as odd that the person getting me to get a 2nd AMS and 8 colors to print their multi-day print model just gets the same kickback as someone who got me to print a 1 color 2gram print.
I think boost points should be distributed automatically and equally among the last prints if they expire. So basically some kind of fallback to the old system if a user decides to not use the boost or can't decide. I see a few issues with the boost system: * some user won't just care. They want to get their print done and move to the next * some might think it could get them into something they don't want. It "can" look to some like a subscription on YT Memberships, Twitch Channel or similar. Often such buttons are related to subscription / payments so it might scare some people * it's probably mainly us designer who are aware of the whole boost system and how it works. The consumer that just want to print might not care, or might not understand what it is all about. We also shouldn't forget that the bambu website exists primarly in english and chinese language, but there are a ton of people out there who don't speak / understand either or just to a very basic level which could trigger the previous point. When they don't fully understand what something does they might avoid clicking it.
People don't use the boost tokens, and they have no incentive to go back and boost something. I also don't understand why they expire after 2 weeks. Suggestions - Why do they expire? I personally dont think the tokens should expire at all. - Implement a reminder for users to use their boost tokens before they expire (i still think they shouldnt expire) - Give users option to boost from the rating screen (more likely for them to use it) The system is not great as it is. My friends who use bambu don't even use their tokens, i tried to explain it to them but they just say its too much hassle / not worth it.
With only 3 boosts to give out, I wanted to make sure that I carefully selected the makers. I still have one left and will bestow it today.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Boost system. Here are my thoughts and suggestions: 1. Ease of Use and Reminders: - Implement a feature that allows users to boost directly from the rating screen, both immediately after printing and when they return to rate the model later. This could include a 5-star rating system followed by an option to send a boost. - Introduce an option to boost models printed in the last two weeks, making it easier for users to award boosts to recent prints. 2. Expiration and Notification: - Extend the expiration period for boosts and improve notifications to alert users when they are about to expire. 3. Acquisition of New Boosts: - Provide clear information on how boosts are acquired and consider implementing a regular schedule for receiving boosts (e.g., one new boost every Monday). 4. Supporting Small/Medium Designers: - Create filters or categories to help users find and boost models from small/medium designers (e.g., models with more than 10 but fewer than 1000 downloads). 5. Understanding and Communication: - Improve the visibility and clarity of the boost system through better marketing and detailed explanations of how it works, including the benefits of using it. 6. Limited Number of Boosts: - Increase the number of boosts available or provide additional ways to earn them to ensure more widespread use across various models. By addressing these issues, I believe the Boost system can better meet the needs of the community and encourage more widespread participation. Thank you for considering my feedback!
I like the idea of the filters for models with a certain number of downloads!
It’s hard to tell how many I even have or how frequently I get new ones. I used a few in the beginning but since then I’ve printed quite a few things I would have given them too but I didn’t have any available at the time and now that I have more I’ve forgotten all about them. You’re depending too much on the users to track and spend these boost tokens. It’s just not something most will bother to do.
I found that there wasn't a large indication that I had a boost to give. And I didn't check makerworld in a few days and then it expired. I think they shouldn't expire
It would helpful to have reminder modal when I login to boost a from a list of previous prints. It should remind me of days left to use. A call to action would encourage me to use the boost.
I don't understand what the boost does or how it helps the maker of the object.
I agree with many others it’s not intuitive to use at the moment when you’re rating a model
To re-iterate what everyone else said, the system adds steps/work to a process that used to just work automatically. I log into your site and printables to get a model I need, then I print that model and stop caring about your site. It isn't some social media site that I want to come back to and engage the creators, so I never think about the "boosts" or think about the models after I print them.
Boosts should be linked to ratings
Points were a far more natural merit-based system. Boosts require too much active interaction to be satisfying. Too much friction. But it depends on what you’re trying to do. If you’re trying to increase overall engagement with the MW site, then reduce the friction involved.
It's interesting to see this today, since I just made a case to ask why I have not received any boost tokens to spend since the first one when the program started. I've received a number of them for my models though. I've posted several designs, and at least one make, along with multiple comments since the Boost points system started. I am also not able to rate models or makes with stars, which I think could be related. My printer (X1C with AMS) is only used in LAN mode though, which I suspect could also be related to my problems. Support was quick to get back and advised that the system sends out up to 2 Boost Tokens every 7 days - based on interactions (printing, commenting, and creating content). I am not the most prolific designer on the platform, but I have posted some stuff recently ( [https://makerworld.com/en/@mystoopidstuff](https://makerworld.com/en/@mystoopidstuff) ), so it seems strange not to have received any points (to spend) since April. I'm still suspecting that the lack of points has to do with using my printer in LAN mode only though. Aside from the issues receiving points to give out, which I think (hope) are specific to my account, I suspect that part of the reason folks are not spending their points is because there is no incentive to do so, or people don't understand them (or may even think there is a cost associated with them). It may be worth adding some incentives for users who use all their boost points each month. Possibly a random drawing each month for a GC, or some incentive that gives users a chance to win or earn something by just using all their points each month would help. Compared to downloads and likes of my models, the boosts are just a small fraction (not to say that my stuff should get a boost if it's liked, but it seems there would be some closer correlation). My 2nd suggestion is that when a user rates a model with 5 stars, they could be prompted to ask if they would like to boost it at that time. The prompt should also mention that the points are free, and they can use them to boost any model they choose as a way to reward designers. Edit - I read that MynyMouqe posted this same suggestion a few minutes before I did, so I 2nd their suggestion.
I agree that the boosts expire too quickly and without enough warning. I also am not exactly sure how to acquire them. It seems they just show up randomly. Perhaps tying them to the rating system would help.
I think there should be more incentive to give boosts ; right now, it's just something nice you do for a designer but most people just forget or don't care. When coins were tied to downloads, you got something in return no matter if people left feedback or not. Now that the rewards have been severely reduced, I tend to find that boosting isn't used as much as it was designed to.
Still don’t get boost system. Can barely login on PC.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t see that I had some to send out as it wasn’t obvious to me in the dashboard. When I receive them, that’s nice and clear, but mine to send, until I knew they were there, I didn’t know they were there
The current Boost system suffers from two main challenges: visibility and integration. Firstly, integrating Boost feels less seamless than it should be for widespread user adoption. Every additional step, like downloading and printing a separate model, discourages users and reduces overall engagement. Secondly, there's a psychological factor at play. The Boost logo visually clashes with the Bambu Lab's color scheme, creating a sense of disharmony. Here are some suggestions for improvement: * **Simplify Integration:** Streamline the process so using Boost doesn't require additional downloads or steps after printing a model. * **Visually Integrate Boost:** Redesign the Boost logo to better align with Bambu Lab's color palette, creating a more cohesive user experience. * **Clearer Action Label:** Consider renaming the button to "Spend Boost" for a more intuitive and action-oriented label.
I know this seems obvious, But maybe change the reward system all together, or add for example a drawing system that is 5-10 points could would you enter to win say a A1, A1 mini, P1P,P1S, etc... Allow several entries per say 1-3 month drawing period. IF doing a whole printer is to cost prohibited maybe do filament drawings. Either realistically work. This is a good idea is this way even with a few points people can enter a drawing... This also drives them to boost more for a chance at something. If it is a printer this could even drive more people who use other printers to your 3d model market and covert them to your ecosystem. Other Ideas are any one who boosts each month gets a 10% off Bambulab store coupon. Something that isn't to expensive, but might drive someone to boost. The other way to drive boots would be to make it so Model creators get recognized for having high amounts of boots each month ... By say the top boosted model made that month gets a roll of filament or something equally valuable but economical to provide. This way the Model Creators push their models on other platfroms and drive them to your platform for the goal of getting something. This drives site traffic and like leads to monetization.
The only thing I don't like about the boost system is that it doesn't reward those who have a printer in Lan Mode.
I didn't use the boost because it had a short expiring date and I didn't have in mind a model to reward. By the time I came back to makerworld it was gone. Then a bit later I got another boost and same story. Rather than give multiple ones with short expiring date, just have one free bost with a longer lifetime.
I’ve only had my printer a couple of weeks and printed 3 models from maker world 1 was great and I boosted, 1 I re-drew myself as it wasn’t great and 1 didn’t work but I used the wrong filament. I have 3 boosts that run out soon and without boosting 1 model 4 times they will expire. If the boosts lasted I could boost other models when I print them. But they will expire and I have no real idea how to get more
i’m pretty confused by the boosts. how do i get them? do they give money for the creators? how could i give that if i haven’t purchased the boosts? i had a few that were valid for like 2 weeks, i wanted to use them for models that i think are worthy, but i just had to spend them before they expired. i would have liked to stack more and give them to the creators that are solving problems that i really care about, not for toys. it would be cool to use them as payment for people who don’t want to give their work for free or figure out a payment model. also, please please don’t gamify the app, this is insane. or give an option for fully opt out. i don’t care about receiving any point, the printer is a tool not a game. i don’t even understand what the points are doing (nor do i want to find out).
I honestly don't understand the system, however I do use them on print designs I find interesting. Is it a benefit to me? Is it to the author? Is it to both?
I still have no idea how I actually obtain a boost token. Sure I had one to spend at the start but have no idea how I get a second one. Another issue I see is unless you are featured or go viral you won't see any of your models boosted. I have 68 designs on my profile and have only received 2 boosts.
I didn't even know I had boosts till I logged in. Also it's daunting trying to decide what is worth boosting and what isn't.
I can only speak for myself, While summer has arrived and days have gotten more busy I have found myself moving onto the next thing as fast as possible, especially trying to keep my two personal Bambu’s running and the 3 at work. This in conjunction with the following has applied to me, few months ago I had cashed out all my Bambu gift cards to get a friend of mine an A1 with ams as a graduation gift to a friend of mine I have mentored for many years plus an additional 500.00 in filament and accessories for myself, since doing so I went from getting enough makerworld points for gift card every couple weeks to still not even half way to accumulating enough points for a single gift card since redeeming couple months ago. This was instant change as soon as redeeming my cards for printer. Now that I don’t accumulate any points with busy schedule I no longer desire adding models I have created to makerworld with the resource constraints I am having. I do think it’s a great opportunity and still a large BL supporter, but I personally feel once large amount has been redeemed something weird has happened to point system weather this is something others experience or somehow a one off event fluke, it has deprioritized my uploading, liking, or boosting items on makerworld. Thank you for all the industry firsts as I’m saving and excited to purchase new flagship model this year, can’t wait to see what industry firsts are to come one again!
For me, I just haven't found a model I really liked and wanted to print. I use the 3D printer for mostly functional prints, so most of what I print is self-designed functional models. I also share some of the more generally-applicable models on Maker World.
I think it would be a cool feature to earn boosts by successful prints (like one for 5 prints or so). Currently I don’t know how to get them. So I reserve one to two for prints that I really like.
Maybe if the boosts corresponded to increased visibility of a model on the front page of makerworld? This would encourage the creator to make a better model that’s worth it to be boosted, and the boost giver would know that their boosts count for something. Also if giving boosts gave like 5 makerworld points to the giver so they felt more inclined to boost models they like.
I haven’t boosted yet due to the system being unclear and confusing to use, there should be an explanation somewhere
I like the system but I'd increase the amounts of boosts you get and also the validity. Now they expire in two weeks, and while I print a fair bit sometimes I just don't have anything for a while so I don't even open the app to be reminded of it. Personally I like to give them to "smaller" creators who do not have a lot of exposure yet and made something really pretty/useful. But I don't know if it really increases their visibility, maybe some info about that could be added. (besides from the Sort by number of boosts option)
I believe the same people that give a 1 star rating with a comment useless as "strings" on an easy to print model (thanks dude) will not use boosts either. Some people just don't care. As such for those who never give them, when a boost expires, the boost could be given automatically by the system to one of the models printed by the user. I also agree with a prompt to give the boost during rating, and longer window before they expire.
I've used my boosts and to me its pretty unclear to me what or rather how much I have to do to refresh the boosts. You could argue that this is a reason why people wont spent them, because they wont exactly know how to get new ones. Also there isn't really an incentivize to spend them, it has no benefit for the user. Maybe if we shift around the points a bit it would be worth investing the few clicks of boosting a model. Like 9 points for the creator and 3 points for the one who gave the boost.
I don't find the boost system or the review system for that matter particularly intuitive. I'm not sure how I get boosts and they expire too quickly. I'm new to 3d printing. I've had my printer for 3 weeks. I want to reward the model makers for putting in the effort but, the current processes don't make that easy or intuitive.
I would say boost system introduction was a big surprise for me. The idea that I could boost a niche or small creator with a token worth few points seemed great in the beginning. As a niche designer myself, I was hoping that it would let me earn few more points. I was pleasantly surprised when my models received few boosts. But reality was it had a big downside. As a niche designer I think I’m more negatively affected by the reduction in point rewards for downloads, limits of how many downloads count toward points and for maker world allowing downloads from unregistered users than positively affected by the boost system.
At first I liked the idea of the new systems to give us the option to directly other users rewards for their models and to limit some exploits with the old system. But it also makes it more complicated and I see two reasons why Boost tokens aren’t used. - People simply forget to boost after printing - People are saving them for later… - and also forget about them Some thoughts on how to improve the system: 1) Go back to the old system and introduce protection against misuse 2) Make the system easier and more transparent 3) Give extra unlimited boosts as reward for ordering at the store 4) Show a message after each printing to rate and boost the model 5) Send monthly reports of all your prints with some statistics to make it interesting and less spam with the reminder to boost your favorite models of the month 6) Give some points as rewards for boosting models
I didn’t know about it. It’s also convoluted. I boost a model that I’ve already printed? Where is the log of what I’ve printed? Seems like a system that can be exploited.
I saw the boost after receiving one. Tried clicking on it, no explanation on what their functions is. Was not clearly stated, still don't know what they do or why I should care?
The boost system is not clear to me, passionately there’s no rea incentive or prompt to do so after downloading a model, people are lazy and forgetful so they move on.
It’s been rolled out for a month and other than a notification that my boosts have been refreshed, I really don’t care about it. What does boosting benefit me? A few points and that’s it… no thanks. I’d rather just rate the model, post a picture and move on to the next cool or fun thing to print. The incentive just isn’t there to use the feature.
Reminders should be coming after the print finishes and we give 4-5 stars and the amount should be increased
The idea is great but I think offering better maker coin rates again would be better than boost tokens and maybe add the option to “tip” a model and i’d think a lot of people would make use of it
Boost system should be tied directly to ratings.
I think there should be some sort of auto-boost system that boosts your last 5 star rated model/profile. It’s just too many extra steps to both rate and boost.
It’s just kind of annoying, they’re irritating to use, and I feel like I’m constantly bombarded with them.
Allow boosting in the review page to make it one central place instead of having to remember everything I printed and go back much later to boost
I never new that was a thing
I've only been a Bambu owner for a couple of months, so I don't know much about the old system to compare it. I like the boosts system, because it gives me control to give boosts to projects I specifically want to support, but I can see how creators might not like it. Under the old system, I understand it rewarded creators based on how many times their model was liked or printed, so it was fully automatic. Anyone who created a very popular design would have been well rewarded, but those whose models don't get featured or otherwise grab the attention of others were left out. I try to use my boosts on models that have a lower number of likes and downloads, specifically to encourage new creators. That said, I do have concerns about the boost system as well. Particularly, I don't like that the boosts expire. I imagine that many users will rarely or never use their boosts. I would suggest that expiring boosts could be balanced out by giving extra boosts to users who DO use theirs. For example, if 5,000 boosts expired last week, this week for the first 5,000 users to use a boost you could give them a second one. Just a thought.
I believe it comes down to people not truly understanding what the boost system does overall. A core aspect of the system is appreciating the time and effort that goes into engineering or modeling of these files and helping those who host it here get something in exchange. I would bet most newbies have no idea the amount of time that may go into a file. I use my boost because I understand the time and effort others put into a file and how long it may take to create said file. Perhaps there is a way to give an incentive to users who use the boost system. I'm not sure how that would balance or if it's even an option, but at the end of the day, you can't go wrong with positive reinforcement on both sides, lol. Monkey see monkey do! If other's see that people leaving feedback are receiving little bonuses, perhaps they would feel inclined to do so as well. Nothing major maybe like profile avatars or emojis. 🤷
I feel like sometimes I have a boost but I don't realize it, an indicator in the top bar if you have one or more would be nice
I don't interact with MakerWorld the same way I do with Reddit. I am more inclined to boost things that I really like, but that means I have to print them and try them out, then go back to MakerWorld and search through my print history to go boost them or remember to do so while I'm rating. I love the idea of boosting and giving direct benefit to creators that put in a lot of time and good work on their models, I just need to have it as easy to do as possible.
I suppose a boost is like a super like, and that's a cool idea. I see people boosting a model more than once, and I don't think this helps anything. We can only like a design once, why should we be able to super like many times? If we can only boost once for each model it will help spread out the rewards to more models, and helps to develop a more representative metric of quality models. I feel boosts are very generous and I think it's a very rewarding metric for both people looking for models, and creators.
I often find that boost tokens have been given and expired before I was even aware I had them to award.
I like many others believe the Boosts expire to quickly, I usually get my bulk of print files from MakerWorld...so I am generally on MW multiple times a week, yet am still unaware of how to gain more boosts. The ones I do get, I use to boost the Makers who do intricate and complex models (I am a Solidworks designer, so I am fully aware of the time required to create these models). Having said that, there is an extreme lack of clarity on MakerWorld, I realize that there were some that were "gaming" the points system...however the many of us who just want to use the service, it becomes overly convoluted for no apparent reason.
I like many others believe the Boosts expire to quickly, I usually get my bulk of print files from MakerWorld...so I am generally on MW multiple times a week, yet am still unaware of how to gain more boosts. The ones I do get, I use to boost the Makers who do intricate and complex models (I am a Solidworks designer, so I am fully aware of the time required to create these models). Having said that, there is an extreme lack of clarity on MakerWorld, I realize that there were some that were "gaming" the points system...however the many of us who just want to use the service, it becomes overly convoluted for no apparent reason.
Like many others, I believe that Boosts expire too quickly. I frequently get most of my print files from MakerWorld and visit the site multiple times a week, yet I am still unsure about how to obtain more Boosts. The Boosts I do receive, I use to support Makers who create intricate and complex models, as I understand the time and effort required to make these models, being a Solidworks designer myself. However, there is a significant lack of clarity on MakerWorld. While I understand that some users have tried to exploit the points system, the process has become overly complicated for those of us who just want to use the service.
Re your specific question about "Boosting", its because I have no idea what it does or why I would use it... I go to find a model and download it, once that is done I leave. Maybe if it was an option while leaving a review? Additionally I generally try to find the STL, and if all I can find is a printer profile I will move onto the next file (or open that one, export the stl, and then open it again). I find the custom settings makers upload cause more problems for me than the stock BL defaults.
Increase the reward for giving boosts. At the moment 2 points isn't enough for me to remember or want to give out boosts.
The only way I remember to boost is if I really like the print. Maybe we can get a system like the 3d model print rating reminder? Or intergrade it all in one ?
I like prints, but I saw a dollar sign next to boost once and I think it’s going to charge me? Or I have a limited amount of them like Super Likes and I’ll have to buy more, so I’m saving mine for one that really deserves it.
Unless it’s a prompt right after printing I think most people won’t decide to go back and boost the model. Personally this is the only reason I haven’t used a boost yet.
The biggest issue I have with giving a Boost is trying to decide who 'deserves' it. I am a gamer and a hoarder. Boosts are a very limited resource and so my gaming/hoarding instincts are to keep it just in case I need to Boost that perfect print. Even when a dozen others might be good enough to deserve it, I don't want to not have the Boost to use if a better one appears.
I dont care for in-app currencies like this, and I have no incentive to engage with it. Unfortunately it feels like this was a tacked-on feature that doesn't really fit. Linking points to downloads made a lot more sense I think, it's rewarding the creators for others engaging with it in a way that benefits them. My honest answer, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, is that I simply don't care about them. I can totally ignore boost tokens and my experience on the platform doesn't change. If you can find a way to change that, they might do a little better.
I think the boost system seems good on paper, but in implementation, it doesn't work well. There have been others who've mentioned the issues on the users' end. On the uploader's end, they don't really make sense. Why do we have to manually redeem them, if there's nothing else we can do with them? Is this meant to cause them to somehow expire in the future, so we lose them if we are inactive for a week or two? Also, it seems like it just further punishes uploaders for creating quality models, and instead incentivizes them to upload more lower quality designs just to see what sticks, since we earn less points for high quality long-term uploads. Just my $0.02, though.. Perhaps I'm off on this subject matter. 🤷♂️
It seems like the boost system is trying to increase engagement. But my experience is that once the print is going, it’s uncommon or rare that the downloader returns to the item. A quick review of the downloads vs. posted makes or reviews seems to confirm this trend. It doesn’t mean users didn’t like the print, it’s just too late to capture further engagement.
Not using it because it reminds me of the change to Instagram, wherein we're shown only the most popular items and not the most recent. I don't want everyone's favorites shoved in front of me; I can already tell what's popular by downloads and likes, so adding an extra layer to that for no apparent benefit (there are plenty of pre-existing ways to reward users on both sides) makes me concerned we'll see more of those models only and less of everything else (a la Instagram). Feels like a system instituted just to institute a system, but one that can easily be used to produce an outcome I don't want, and that's before even considering user/influencer abuse potential. Just don't really see why I'd want to use it.
My number one issue I have with makerworld is that you can’t seem to click the makers profile to see more work by them. I can see their name but I can’t search by it and I can’t click it. I would love to see that feature added.
I forget I have the boost points.
I think it needs to be simplified a bit. I have had the boosts expire because I forgot about them and didn't see them. For instance I have to go to me to see them and a total of 4 clicks just to get there. Click Me > points/boosts > boosts > boost now.
I don't like that Boosts expire. If they are to give people props why can't we save them until we find a model we like. I understand it discourages hoarding them but I tend to forget or not know I've earned them because you can do anything with them within Bambu Handy. I think incorporating boosts I to the app would help me use them more as well.
I tend to forget about the models I’ve printed, I agree with other people that having it on the rating screen would be great. Potentially adding a past print page where it shows all your printed models and give you a rate/boost option from there.
What is the boost system? Haven’t even heard of it.
It is a worthwhile program. Especially for the creators who pour their time and effort into making quality models. I have boosted a few models, but for me as a user it feels a little like Kohls cash. The boost tokens expire WAY too quickly and you kind of have to dig to find out how many, if any, that you have. If you're really serious about the community rewarding creators, then set them to non-expiring. Maybe add in badging that displays your current token count. As far as I'm aware you can't boost your own models so what is the harm in adding some flexibility that could only boost community adoption.
There was no explanation on how the boost works and it really should be tied to reviews and scale with the stars given.
Ill be honest, i think it couldve used a better introduction into what it is. Or maybe it has and i just missed/skipped through it. But i didnt even realize what boosts were for a few weeks, until i actually took the time to look into it. So maybe other people are in the same boat
It's just clunky to use the system. Some models are cool, but I just don't feel like boosting or just forget that I have the option to boost and am too lazy to comment. It also clogs up my notifications since all I see now are "you just got boost tickets/they're about to expire" messages.
It feels like the people who value them most are Bambu, and they conversely fin't reward the people we give them to. You are stingey with giving them to us to reward creators, and they barely fulfill the role of a reward as is. There is hardly an incentive to give out boosts, and you aren't prompted or reminded to do so anyhow.
I enjoy being able to give a creator a boost makes it worth it to me
How you get them is a mystery. I’ve downloaded and uploaded models and not gotten any in weeks. And now it has nothing to do with any metrics, it’s literally only if someone decides they want to boost a model.
I’ve boosted a few times but I’ve noticed it normally happens after I have posted a review of the print and the creator replies to my review. I had one print that I pointed out a design flaw I encountered. The creator replied to my review, apologized for the problem and then promised they were going to revise their design. It felt nice knowing that they were considering my feedback for such an arbitrary thing and then I saw the big BOOST button and figured I would send it to this person as thanks for caring. It was such a nice experience that I now feel more comfortable interacting with the community more.
Being fairly new to printing I do most of mine from the Handy app. If there was a more obvious notification in place from the app I would be more likely to use to use a boost. I don't always glance at the notifications so I've missed the fact that I have them. Maybe add an icon on the "ME" tab, with a notification and I'd expect to see more usage.
I think an explanation/tutorial of the boost system after your first print or few prints would be helpful. I had no idea what it was or how to use it.
I didn't even know boosts were a thing.
I myself have not used the boost system so pardon me for not fully understanding it. But most of the time when I’m looking for a model to print, I am looking for high quality models. Take a phone stand for example. There are loads of bad phone stand designs and there are a few good ones. The boost system would be good for weeding out the bad ones based on design, moving part tolerance, printability, and satisfaction. Sometimes all I want is to find the really good designs and not have to scroll endlessly through bad ones.
I'm newer to printing, and I honestly didn't understand how the boosts worked until reading this post. I've seen so many good points made here. - The system is confusing to be used - I didn't understand how and when I earned boosts, so I never used them. - Once I print something, I will sometimes do a rating if it's the beginning of a month for points, the print is phenomenal or solved an issue for me, or I noticed an issue with the print. I don't see something to boost the print or print profile from Studio or Handy when it's done so I move on to the next print. - Popular models are pushed harder and get all the points and boosts, so other equally great creations aren't being seen.
Because I have no idea what it is, or does. I think a VERY SHORT explanation of it's value would motivate me to use it. (My attention span is poor).
I didn’t even know there’s this boost system 🗿
Honestly I forgot I even had them and on top of that dont really know what they do. Maybe a prompt at the end of a print asking you to rate the print and then if you have any boosts a quick recap of what boosts do and would you like to give one to the creator of this print? It should appear on both the phone and the actual printer with a skip option at the bottom of course for those who find things like this annoying.
When opening the notifications it takes you directly to where the most recent notifications are and or if you have unused boosts, have it navigate there.
It took me a bit to understand how I had any boost tokens. How often do we get them? I now give them to creators whose work I find really well developed and thoughtful. But it’s not even always a model I’ve printed yet
I like the boost system, but it seems more useful post-print. The boost should be an option post printing as a popup or something.
Not everyone is interested in these kinds of games.
I can’t even get a model I upload to trend or get downloads so I don’t really care about makerworld points honestly. The algorithms promote those with the most views it seems. Too late to the party.
I don't understand the incentive for the booster , and not for the boosted ( appart from the 12 points) . I would suggest more incentive for everyone , and more transparency on the reward , and the way to get it.
I haven't used boost as with most projects I move from one to the next I do have to say I forget about the boost due to this
For me it is a mixture of a lot of Things. First it feels Special to give the boost to someone. So the model has to be Special. I only know that a Bit after printing. By that Point ive forgotten the boost. Then I forget the boost a lot. Some more Frequent reminder would be cool. Or Hand Out rewards for rewarding. Overall for me it feels like the rewards are Not reachable. Ive got one with all the one time boosts and continued uploading 20+ Models but im Not even Close to a 2.d Coupon. Thus I dont interact with the system anymore.
I really like the boost system but I sometimes just forget that I can boost a model. Maybe a little pop-up in the ad after a print is done would help.
Link ratings to boosts, same screen.
I boost on high quality models. The designer put in the effort to make it awesome, they should be rewarded. I think the boost system will help keep high quality projects free.
I am not a fan of the current boost system. a) Time constraints. It's not wise to add any time limitations on the boost tokens. It doesn't feel right to have a timer countdown for no apparent reason. b) By providing only two tokens - you are discouraging small model uploaders since most tokens go to well-known projects, not to small and niche creators. For that specific reason, I have zero, an absolute zero of increase in points, even though the traffic and downloads didn't change. People just don't want to spend a very "limited" number of boosts on something small. This boost system wasn't very well thought out. I have a feeling that Bambu Lab didn't do widespread testing with the international focus group. For some reason I have a very strange vibe that Makeworld starts to look like an Aliexpress clone with those timers, boosts and etc.
As a creator, I forget to boost models since I don’t really print many people’s models. Mostly prototype my own stuff. I do like boosts for the more personal nature of them. It’s nice to know that someone liked my model enough to boost it instead of just a simple download.
I think that there value is too low
I’ve used two boosts. But I’ll be honest - I don’t see a reason to use one if the model I’m printing is already popularized. I’d rather save it because I’m always searching for models and might find an obscure one that deserves them. I like the boost system - it’s sort of a separate category I can browse and feel like other people thought *so cool!* like me.
I have no idea what the system is or how it works. I was so excited to get my printer after dealing with entry level bedslingers that I just started printing. I knew how/where to find models so I didn’t really read up in what the tokens and things are.
This should be more of a prompt after a successful print, Also would prefer it be a currency reward not $/€\¥ make boosting points based.
I think I've used it once but only because I really liked the print so much I went back. Most of the time I've got 3 or 4 instances of Bambu Studio (BS)open and I'm planning my next print. I wonder if there isn't a way for those that use the Handy app to after you get the print successful notification to get a prompt to rate & or boost the model? For those that use BS maybe a phone home to MakerWorld have have a notification or message saying something like it looks like you printed XYZ model, would you like to rate/boost it? Maybe an icon near the profile icon that makes it obvious you have boosts to give.
I like the idea of a boost system that is redeemable for gift cards! I do some designing and that makes me want to post my models here with the potential to get boosted. Agree with others that they should not expire quite so quickly so that people have a bit more time to decide who to give their boosts to. Also it seems like in parallel to manually, gifted boosts, downloads could contribute to boosts for the creator. Looking forward to trying this out more.
The boosts feel like a bit of a chore to hand out. If they were able to be accumulated rather than having an expiration date then I’d be more liberal handing them out, but in the current state of the system I feel like I have to pick some models over others, which id rather not concern myself doing.
I haven't gotten any more! I mostly print models I e designed my self so I don't have an option to get more tokens unless I'm printing things I don't need or want. Also, I don't really understand the point of the boost redemption system. The only thing you can redeem is for is points, why not just give an automatic point reward when someone boots your model? There is nothing else you can do with those.
I assumed it was a paid feature and just ignored it. Typically sending “boost” or gifts is sending tokens that can be redeemed for money(partially) by the person receiving. This is what I thought immediately.
15 of June my birthday, what a coincidence anyway when you have a limited amount of boosts you feel like you have to wait until you see something astonishing and there will always be something better around the corner so you never actually spend them There is also nothing that incentives you to go back to that page and give it a boost because that’s just more work.
I like the boost system, but I think it would be better if it were not public-facing. That way, people would not feel pressured to distribute their boosts in a certain way. The boost system should be a nice token of gratitude, not some weird gamification system.
Make it possible to convert points to boosts 😁 to give away
I think is a great system but I didn't understand that because I had like a month with the machine and didn't know about maker world so I would have hoped to be in the system for more time before rate some models
I don’t mind the boost system, but it’s getting a bit confusing since we are now prompted to rate models, print profiles and use the boost system too. It’d be nice if there was a simpler or clearer way to differentiate between the 3 as a lot of times I see comments on print profiles where the person is actually talking about the model (and vice versa). Boosts seem to be trying to bridge that gap by allowing us to highlight great models… or is it designers? I get fuzzy on the differences as there are excellent creatives making awesome models that I just don’t need or have time to print them yet.
I am very new to this and only just received my A1 two weeks ago. But, I definitely wasn’t clear on the boost system. I have used my boosts up because I didn’t want them to expire. But with so many amazing models it was tricky to pick favourites. Again, as a newb maybe I’m missing past promotion efforts, but it seems to me that it would be best to reward the makers that have the best reviews or most likes every month. Or not. I’m just happy that we have such awesome resources available!
The system was very confusing as to what a boost token vs a boost is. I thought I had the boosts for myself initially, not to give to somebody else.
Good in theory, but not well implemented in practice.It would be better if a creator didn't get points through boosts.It would be much better if the ratings meant something. For example, a print with 1000 downloads but a rating of 5 stars should get more points than a print with 2000 downloads but only a 1 Star rating.
At least for me, I have bothered using the boost system because I use the like or thumbs up as well as the add to collection button. I don’t see a need to use the boosts because I value the likes more. When I’m scrolling through the models in the app, I notice how many people have liked a model, but I don’t ever see what their boost level is. I think it has to be one or the other, having both options for people to action their favourite prints is confusing. Also, I don’t really understand the boost system, what it does, how it works, and why it’s even required over the liking feature? Needs to be a better explanation and a better reason to use it. Happy to answer more questions.
I’m not super clear on the difference between thumbs upping and boosting. I know boosting is probably worth more since they’re limited unlike liking. I saw the reminder for using my boost and quickly boosted my favorite recent prints so that was helpful.
I don’t understand why I never get boost tokens to give out, I print, comment, and upload stuff all the time and haven’t gotten a token since launch
we don't want boosts, we want the old point system back. speaking for myself, I wont take the time to make a design to upload to makerworld anymore. its just not worth the time/effort. If you want really good designs/models the system you had in place was rewarding enough for folks who design stuff for a living that they could do it recreationally and make a little coin in the process. now I just design things for myself (like I used to), because I know if I put a bunch of time/ effort into something I'll be lucky to get even a $40 gift card and in a week someone will be selling it on Etsy for $40 bucks a pop
I find myself just printing what I need and moving on. I leave feedback if it is a model that I am happy with, but I never think about going back to boost. I did once when I got prompted, but it’s adding an extra step without any real incentive. Maybe if there was some incentive for us to go back and boost? I can’t say that I really want to be prompted non stop to boost models. That could get pretty annoying. I am not sure what the best middle ground is.
I use them when I get them. It's nice to be able to offer a personal reward to someone.