The big picture
Flow
People become absorbed when challenge matches skill and goals and feedback are clear.
Well supportedSeveral studies or meta-analyses point the same way.
Example
A game that is too easy is boring and one that is too hard is stressful. Slightly beyond your skill is where time disappears.
Why it works
Too hard creates anxiety and too easy creates boredom. In the band between, attention locks onto the task and continuing becomes its own reward. Clear goals and immediate feedback keep people in that band.
On the web
Start quizzes and assessments easy and raise difficulty gradually. Always show progress and what remains, and respond to every action.
When it backfires
Checkout does not need to be absorbing. Keep transactions short and save flow for exploration such as comparison or learning.
Sources
Describes absorbed experience arising when challenge and skill balance, with clear goals and immediate feedback.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row. Open source
Translates flow into game evaluation criteria such as concentration, challenge, skills, control, goals, and feedback.
Sweetser, P., & Wyeth, P. (2005). GameFlow: A model for evaluating player enjoyment in games. Computers in Entertainment, 3(3). Open source
Connect with the classics
These links are editorial readings, not research findings. Check the original meaning on each classics page.
過猶不及。Going too far is as bad as falling short. It echoes flow’s balance: too hard or too easy both break absorption.
The Analects Xian Jin: differences between people →