The interesting question: Recently clients have asked about the phenomenally successful casual computer game Angry Birds, designed for mobile phones, tablets and other platforms. This question pops up when products become massively successful based on their user experience design – think iPhone, iPad, Google Instant Search, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Kinect. The unusual question: Surprisingly, it is a rare client indeed who asks the opposing question: why is an interface so engaging that users cannot stop interacting with it? This is a difficult question because it requires cognitive reverse engineering to determine what interaction attributes a successful interface embodies that result in a psychologically engaging user experience.

This question yields to experience and professional usability analysis. The answer to this persistent question is complex but never truly elusive. The usual question: Over the past 40+ years as a consultant in the field generally known as human factors engineering (aka usability engineering), I have been asked by hundreds of clients why users don’t find their company’s software engaging. « Why Cisco flipped over the Flip Video Cam (and paid $590 million for a small dose of simplicity) - The Science Behind User Experience UX Design and Usability Testing » Why Angry Birds is so successful and popular: a cognitive teardown of the user experience

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