design for awareness

Designing for Awareness in the Attention Economy

Big (D)esign Conference 2011Brian Sullivan & Taylor Cowan

Time Shift:

The flood of content disrupts our daily life! It is like a maniacal paperboy throwing new editions at your doorstep every 15 seconds.

What exactly is attention? How is it defined?

Attention is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence.

-William James

Classic Definition of Awareness

Attention ImpliesFocus

DistractionImplies

Disorder

The wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes, (which is) the attention of its recipients.

A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.

-Herbert Simon (1971)

Attention Economy (1971)

Information

Scarcity

AttentionScarcityvs

Attention is focused mental engagement on a particular item of information. Items come into our awareness, we attend to a particular item, and then we decide whether to act.

-Tom Davenport(2001)

Attention Currency (2001)

AttentionInterestDesireAction

Attention Can Equal Money

Your Attention Modes

Passive Attention [pas-iv] [uh-ten-shuhn]

Passive attention is involuntary use of attention. Some scholars have called it “being in auto-pilot.” People usually snap out of passive attention because of an external factor (sudden loud noise).

Passive Mode:

You perform a mundane task (like driving to work for 500th time), so it does not require your full attention.

-The laundry is piled up.- I need to go to the store.- I need money from the ATM.

When you almost hit a car, your attention moves to ACTIVE mode!!!

Active Attention [ak-tiv] [uh-ten-shuhn] Active attention is the voluntary

focusing of attention under difficulties, attention by disregarding distraction, attention to which there are rival claimants, — in short, choosing to mentally focus on something.

Active Mode:

You perform a task that requires your full attention.

- A surgeon focuses on a patient- An athlete focuses on a free-throw- Ice climbing on a slippery slope

You attention is very focused in active mode.

Types of Active Attention

Active Attention Types:1. Normal2. Concentration3. Selective4. Alternating5. Divided

Active Attention Types:1. Normal2. Concentration3. Selective4. Alternating5. Divided

Normal attention is when you focus on a single task.

Normal Attention:

You consciously focus on a single task:

- Nurse listens to the heart monitor- Player blocks a basketball shot- Clown juggles 7 balls

People perform best when they focus on a single task.

Active Attention Types:1. Normal2. Concentration3. Selective4. Alternating5. Divided

Concentration is sustained focus on activity, where you purposely avoid distractions, stretch

your current skills, or do something you consider to be very important.

Concentration:

Concentration is a sustained focus, usually dealing with distractions, doing something important, or doing something beyond your normal limits.

- Listening to someone at a noisy party- Reading a book- Doing a skateboard stunt

Tuning out conversations at a party to

talk with someone important.

Concentration:

Concentration is a sustained focus, usually dealing with distractions, doing something important, or doing something beyond your normal limits.

- Listening to someone at a noisy party- Reading a book- Doing a skateboard stunt

Reading a book for a school or work project, so you focus on specific

information.

A gymnast adding a new twist to the vault during a competition (in the

finals).

Active Attention Types:1. Normal2. Concentration3. Selective4. Alternating5. Divided

Selective attention is unconsciously blocking out other stimulus, while you are performing some

task.

Selective Attention:

Selective attention is just how our brain processes information in our visual field. People miss large chunks of data in their visual field.

- Banner Blindness- Not understanding a page changed- Not seeing the gorilla

You selectively “ignore” a lot of things. In the Selective Attention tests on You Tube, you might miss:

- A Gorilla- A moon-walking bear- A storm trooper- Child-dressed up as a Ninja Turtle

Active Attention Types:1. Normal2. Concentration3. Selective4. Alternating5. Divided

Alternating attention is focus in on one task and you “tune in” to another one from time to time.

Concentration:

Concentration is a sustained focus, usually dealing with distractions, doing something important, or doing something beyond your normal limits.

- Listening to someone at a noisy party- Reading a book- Doing a skateboard stunt

You are reading a book for pleasure, while

an episode of “Family Guy” plays on TV.

“That’s pretty freakin’ sweet. It’s one of the Star Wars episodes. Have

I seen it?”

Concentration:

Concentration is a sustained focus, usually dealing with distractions, doing something important, or doing something beyond your normal limits.

- Listening to someone at a noisy party- Reading a book- Doing a skateboard stunt

“I’ve seen that episode back to the book.”

(for now)

“That’s pretty freakin’ sweet, Brian! I love this part. Sure, my reading

can wait.”

Active Attention Types:1. Normal2. Concentration3. Selective4. Alternating5. Divided

Divided attention is when you divide your level attention between many things. You do not really

focus on any one, as you split your attention. Some folks call it “multi-tasking.”

Myths About Multi-taskingYou do not multi-task.You do rapid task

switching.Better to complete one

task.Task efficiency

decreases with each additional task.

Digital natives think they are great multi-taskers:- Do homework- Update Facebook- Search Internet

Design Strategies for Awareness

Awareness Strategies:

1. User-Driven 2. System-Driven

User-Driven Approach

Awareness Strategies:

1. User Driven Approach- Task-Driven Training- Verbal Protocols- Advanced Training- User Checklists

2. System-Driven Approach

How Training = AwarenessRehearsalMemorizationRecoveryFocus on primary

task(s)Ignore distractions

Verbal Protocols (NASA)“Wait”“Activate”“Deactivate”“Explain”

Verbal Protocols (6 Thinking Hats)White = NeutralBlue = OrganizeGreen = CreativeYellow = PositiveBlack = CriticalRed = Emotional

Advanced Training Saves Lives

Simple Checklists are EffectiveChecklist Manifesto (2007)WHO adopts it in 2008:

- 8 remote Tanzania hospitals- Post surgery issues drop 36%- Deaths reduced by 47%

Only checklist was adopted:- No new equipment bought- No extra money spent- Results were in 6 months

Awareness Strategies:

1.User-Driven Approach

2.System-Driven Approach- Interruption Strategy- Notification Strategy- Make it Multi-modal- Interaction Design

Interruption versus NotificationInterruption strategy

”How we actively interrupt people to make them aware of critical or sensitive information?”

Notification strategy “How we passively show relevant information that people might want to know?”

Interruptions = Active AwarenessNotifications = Passive Awareness

Put in center of screenMake it BIG (obvious)Design a binary choiceUse multi-modal design

(recommend using sound)

Interruption Strategy = Obvious

NOTE

Did you know……..Multi-modal design is not equal.According to Welch (1986), the modality of sound was better for active interruptions than heat, smell, vibration, color, or light.

Interruption Design ProtocolsLife or deathSignificant impactUsually, in center of a designRequires immediate attention

Use Sound, Sometimes

With most interruption strategies, use sound to draw attention (ie the phone), but not

always (survey).

Put in edges of designInformational,

interactiveCan be a binary

choice(i.e. Take Our Poll)

Notification Strategy = Subtle

Notification Design ProtocolsShow important informationMake aware of a changeNot a significant impact“Awareness” patterns on fringe of eye path

(usually)

Notification of 1 new item.

Notification of 1 new item.

No pic (usually spammer).

Notification of 1 new item.

No pic (usually spammer).

This item is new.

Notification of 1 new item.

No pic (usually spammer).

This item is new.

Damn, an advertisement!

Notification of 1 new item.

No pic (usually spammer).

This item is new.

Short URL (by Owl.ly)

Damn, an advertisement!

Notification of 1 new item.

No pic (usually spammer).

This item is new.

Short URL (by Owl.ly)

Hashtag for like posts

Damn, an advertisement!

Notification of 1 new item.

No pic (usually spammer).

This item is new.

Short URL (by Owl.ly)

Hashtag for like posts

See conversation thread

Damn, an advertisement!

Call of Duty—Player Notification

Your Buddy PiX3L Monkey is Online

Assume, an Interruption Method

It Could Look Like This

- Level 53 - 17 Awards- 10 Boosts - 22 Missions- 88 Medals - 42 Weapons- 12 Friends - 76 Enemies

Completed: Zombie Moscow Level

A notification strategy does not have to exist on the fringe of your design. It can be meaningfully placed into the main viewing area.

1 missed callvoicemail2 text messages2 unread emailsPartly cloudy46 degreesNo meetings on

Saturday, 29th

Different parts of the brain process information.

Multi-modal designs use different sensory triggers in the brain.

Make It Multi-Modal

Did you know……..Neuroscientists recommend doctors play classical music in surgery. It relaxes the stress centers of the brain and seems to aid to eye-hand coordination.

MIT, 2009

400,000,000,000 bits of data per second

(passive)

MIT, 2009

400,000,000,000 bits of data per second

(passive)

Aware of 2000 bits(active) MIT, 2009

2,000 bits/second(awareness)

60 bits/second(process)

Recite Ingredients of a Big Mac

You Know Them By Heart

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed

bun.

Multi-modal Encoding in Memory

You know these ingredients because of multi-modal encoding (see, smell, taste, feel, eat,

sing the words).

Common Multi-Modal PatternsVibration of a game controllerTemperature activated labelsRing tones on a cell phoneChange color on selectionPhone lights up for a call

Lastly, Interaction Design

Interactions Are Personal

Allows for exploration

Entices InterestLeads to focus

Example: Pivot of Large Data SetsHotels by price, nearness, star ratingMy tweets, tweets mentions, DMs, retweetsMovies – at box office, on DVD, upcoming

Price Nearby Star Rating

RecentPopularFrequentEventsLocation (or Nearby)ShareWhat Others LikeRecommendations

Interactions with Context

Last Example: Fandango

Swipe, tap, or pinchYou can see:

- In Theaters Now- Within 15 miles- Opening This Week- Reviews- Coming Soon

Interactions+ Context-----------------Awareness

Our Contact Information

Twitter = @BrianKSullivanTwitter = @tcowan