‘I’m-too-busy-to-listen-to-you’ world
Getting attention and being relevant to different aspects of life is becoming more vital and equally difficult in the hustle bustle of life.
The digital era, where the products are competing for “users limited attentions”, the modern economy is evolving around human attention span and how the products can capture that attention.
Attention is one of the most valuable resources of the digital age. In the earlier days education was a luxury and hence not many people could read. With internet age, access to informations on a massive scale, where facts, literature, art, informations etc.. are available (mostly free) to anyone with just an internet connection.
So what is attention?
Attention: a selective focus on some of the stimuli that we are currently perceiving while ignoring other stimuli from the environment. In ordinary conversation, we often say “pay attention.”
Psychologist and economist Herbert A. Simon described attention as a “bottleneck” in human thought. He also noted that “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
The “eye catching” market
Today, in the busy crowded internet world, where large amount of information is pushed at once in hopes that one of the many images or phrases will attract user’s notice. The dynamics of the attention have changed, companies are spending more to draw users in to spend more and more times on apps and sites. Hence the of attracting attention has led to the popularity of many different design trends. Few tricks to grab attention, we all must have gone through the following:
– Many services online are offered for free
– Eye catching animation/phrases to call attention to a piece of content
– Some ad campaigns forces users to dedicate their attention to the ad
– To increase engagement, often unnecessary and frequent notifications are designed by apps and sites
How the Attention Economy Affects Users
In the digital age, attention is not only a resource but a currency: users pay for a service with their attention. Designer in order to grab attention inadvertently create designs that require too much attention than users can realistically offer and many users are aware of it. Some users feel helpless when it comes to controlling the amount of time that they spend on their devices. Digital products are designed to be more and more engaging, often trying to keep users hooked, engaging and attention-grabbing designs can become so habit-forming for young people that they may experience “withdrawal” when devices are taken away.
Conclusion
Certain facts of the digital economy may not change. Advertising will fund some free content for the foreseeable future, apps will compete for new users’ attention, and people will still only have so much attention to dedicate.
However, designers have a choice in this economy of attention: they can balance business needs, with respect for the best interests of their users.
Go forth, enjoy… be busy!
