Product behavior and appearance effects on experienced engagement during experimental and goal-directed tasks

This study examines how digital products can be designed towards increased levels of experienced engagement. An experiment was conducted in which 24 participants were asked to interact with a videogame that varied in behavior and appearance aspects during experiential and goal-directed tasks. Behavioral aspects were manipulated by varying the amount of possibilities in the game that also affected the complexity in human action. Appearance aspects were manipulated by varying the colorfulness, detail and asymmetry within the visual design. During experiential tasks participants were free to explore the game and during goal-directed tasks participants were given a goal that had to be completed as efficiently as possible. Results indicate that experienced engagement is based upon the extent the game provided rich experiences and by the extent the game provided a sense of control. Based on these results, recommendations for designing engaging interactions with digital products are discussed