Flow
The mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and enjoyment of process of the activity.
Flow results from immersive and engaging user experiences
A flow state occurs when there is a balance between the difficulty of a task and the level of skill required to complete it. It’s characterized by intense and focussed concentration on the present, combined with a sense of total control.
Designing for flow
We can build flow into our designs by providing feedback so that the user knows what action has been taken and what has been accomplished. Optimizing for task efficiency is key for avoiding disengagement with the interface. This is achieved by building a responsive system, removing friction, and making content and features available for intuitive discovery.
Finding balance
A task that’s too difficult leads to heightened frustration, while a task that’s too easy can lead to boredom. Finding the right balance requires matching the challenge with the user’s skill level.
Origin
Flow was coined by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975 and has been widely referred to across a variety of fields (and is particularly well recognized in occupational therapy), though the concept has been claimed to have existed for thousands of years under other names.