Awareness in the attention economy

UPA Boston Conference 2011Brian Sullivan

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)

InformationScarcity

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)

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

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-tasking You 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 = Awareness Rehearsal

Memorization

Recovery

Focus on primary task(s)

Ignore distractions

Verbal Protocols (NASA) “Wait”

“Activate”

“Deactivate”

“Explain”

Verbal Protocols (6 Thinking Hats) White = Neutral

Blue = Organize

Green = Creative

Yellow = Positive

Black = Critical

Red = Emotional

Advanced Training Saves Lives

Simple Checklists are Effective Checklist 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 Approach2. System-Driven Approach

- Interruption Strategy- Notification Strategy- Make it Multi-modal- Interaction Design

Interruption versus NotificationInterruption strategy

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

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

Interruptions = Active AwarenessNotifications = Passive Awareness

Put in center of screen

Make it BIG (obvious)

Design a binary choice

Use 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 Protocols Life or death

Significant impact

Usually, in center of a design

Requires 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 design

Informational, interactive

Can be a binary choice(i.e. Take Our Poll)

Notification Strategy = Subtle

Notification Design Protocols Show important information

Make aware of a change

Not 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 call

voicemail

2 text messages

2 unread emails

Partly cloudy46 degrees

No 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

MIT, 2009

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 Patterns Vibration of a game controller

Temperature activated labels

Ring tones on a cell phone

Change color on selection

Phone lights up for a call

Lastly, Interaction Design

Interactions Are Personal

Allows for exploration

Entices Interest

Leads to focus

Example: Pivot of Large Data Sets

Hotels by price, nearness, star rating

My tweets, tweets mentions, DMs, retweets

Movies – at box office, on DVD, upcoming

Price Nearby Star Rating

Recent

Popular

Frequent

Events

Location (or Nearby)

Share

What Others Like

Recommendations

Interactions with Context

Last Example: Fandango

Swipe, tap, or pinch

You can see:- In Theaters Now- Within 15 miles- Opening This Week- Reviews- Coming Soon

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

My Contact Information

Email = brian@bigdesignevents.com

Twitter = @BrianKSullivan

World Usability Day, 2011 (Education Theme)

Big Design Conference on July 14-16, 2011 (Dallas)