Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

073 Flow

A state of immersion so intense that awareness of the real world is lost.

When people are not challenged, they become bored; and when challenged too much, they become anxious. Flow occurs in the Goldilocks zone between these two states, where people are challenged at or near their maximum skill level but not beyond. People in a state of flow lose track of time and experience feelings of joy and satisfaction. But not only are flow states pleasing to experience; they have also been shown to help people reach peak performance. One 10-year longitudinal study showed people in flow states were five times more productive. Despite this potential, flow states rarely occur in everyday life because challenges and skills are rarely matched long ...