Stolen Focus by Blinkist examines the importance of clarity and focus in the design process. From the lessons of award-winning designers to the modern workplace realities, this book provides UX designers with key learnings to help prioritize projects, plan better, and build teams that can stay on track:
• Improve your mindset: understand how to calibrate your attitude and motivation for successful design
• Best practices for managing projects: learn how to set clear goals and expectations for your team
• Prioritize effectively: review tips for setting healthy boundaries and creating an environment that encourages productivity
• Design methods and tools: understand how to integrate design methods and tools for smoother project delivery
This book provides insight into the design process for UX designers who want to be more productive and efficient in their work. As a UX designer, reading Stolen Focus will give you the tools and mindset needed to develop clarity and focus in your design process. You may also be interested in other books such as Don't Make Me Think, A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability and The Design of Everyday Things.
🎀 Highlights
social media is actually designed to sap your focus;
spending less time at work might actually boost your productivity.
Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus.
everyone is struggling to focus.
it’s getting increasingly difficult to focus
In 2013, conversation topics trended on Twitter for an average of 17.5 hours before people lost interest and moved on to a new topic. By 2016, that number had dwindled to 11.6 hours.
the more time we’ve spent in online spaces, the shorter our attention spans have become.
Robert Colvile calls “The Great Acceleration.”
the way we receive information is speeding
this phenomenon actually predates the internet
His capacity for deep focus was dwindling,
spearheaded a study to find out if there was actually evidence to back up his suspicion.
2016, Sune Lehmann
Now, information is not only available to us all the time; it actually intrudes on our lives through the ceaseless pings and notifications coming from our laptops and smartphones.
our brains just haven’t caught up with this acceleration. Research suggests they never
our brains just haven’t caught up with this acceleration. Research suggests they never will.
research in the area of speed-reading suggests that there’s a finite limit to how quickly we can process information.
cognitive capacity of the human brain has not significantly changed in the last 40,000 years.
there’s a reason Silicon Valley calls its customers “users.”
it asked whether tech can change human behavior. And the answer, as you might have guessed, was yes.
Skinner was famous for the experiments he conducted on rats.
Skinner found, to carry out tasks that had no intrinsic meaning to them.
Skinner inspired the creation of other buttons you might recognize: like buttons, share buttons, and comment buttons.
rewarding us for the time we spend on the platforms.
engagement. This refers to how much time a user spends interacting with a product.
what connects us can also divide
Bolsonaro’s victory, like Coletivo Papo Reto’s success, can also be partly attributed to Facebook.
It’s arranged by an algorithm that is programmed to feed us content that keeps us scrolling longer.
Climate change poses a real and present danger to life on earth. But as a species, we can’t seem to absorb the science – or even agree on whether we should be listening to scientists in the first place.
“Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.”
We live in an accelerating, consumerist society
Well because, as it turns out, humans are really bad at multitasking.
It was never meant to be applied to humans. After all, we only have one processor: our brain.
“switch-cost” effect.
average of ten IQ points while they were completing their task.
work climate that values multitasking as a sign of peak productivity, distraction is practically encouraged.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first identified this state, which he called “flow.”
then you’ve been in a flow
jigsaw puzzle
according to Cskiszentmihalyi, is that everyone
according to Cskiszentmihalyi, is that everyone can access flow
intrinsically rewarding; when you’re in flow,
unless you’re passionate about data entry, you’re unlikely to find flow filling out spreadsheets.
High-performing individuals like athletes, musicians, and scientists often attribute their achievements to their ability to access flow states.
has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted. To combat them we need large-scale, systemic change
has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted. To combat them we need large-scale, systemic change – on an individual level, as well as from the tech designers that invented these systems in the first place.
social media is actually designed to sap your focus;
spending less time at work might actually boost your productivity.
Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus.
everyone is struggling to focus.
it’s getting increasingly difficult to focus
In 2013, conversation topics trended on Twitter for an average of 17.5 hours before people lost interest and moved on to a new topic. By 2016, that number had dwindled to 11.6 hours.
the more time we’ve spent in online spaces, the shorter our attention spans have become.
Robert Colvile calls “The Great Acceleration.”
the way we receive information is speeding
this phenomenon actually predates the internet
His capacity for deep focus was dwindling,
spearheaded a study to find out if there was actually evidence to back up his suspicion.
2016, Sune Lehmann
Now, information is not only available to us all the time; it actually intrudes on our lives through the ceaseless pings and notifications coming from our laptops and smartphones.
our brains just haven’t caught up with this acceleration. Research suggests they never
our brains just haven’t caught up with this acceleration. Research suggests they never will.
research in the area of speed-reading suggests that there’s a finite limit to how quickly we can process information.
cognitive capacity of the human brain has not significantly changed in the last 40,000 years.
there’s a reason Silicon Valley calls its customers “users.”
it asked whether tech can change human behavior. And the answer, as you might have guessed, was yes.
Skinner was famous for the experiments he conducted on rats.
Skinner found, to carry out tasks that had no intrinsic meaning to them.
Skinner inspired the creation of other buttons you might recognize: like buttons, share buttons, and comment buttons.
rewarding us for the time we spend on the platforms.
engagement. This refers to how much time a user spends interacting with a product.
what connects us can also divide
Bolsonaro’s victory, like Coletivo Papo Reto’s success, can also be partly attributed to Facebook.
It’s arranged by an algorithm that is programmed to feed us content that keeps us scrolling longer.
Climate change poses a real and present danger to life on earth. But as a species, we can’t seem to absorb the science – or even agree on whether we should be listening to scientists in the first place.
“Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.”
We live in an accelerating, consumerist society
Well because, as it turns out, humans are really bad at multitasking.
It was never meant to be applied to humans. After all, we only have one processor: our brain.
“switch-cost” effect.
work climate that values multitasking as a sign of peak productivity, distraction is practically encouraged.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first identified this state, which he called “flow.”
then you’ve been in a flow
jigsaw puzzle
according to Cskiszentmihalyi, is that everyone can access flow
intrinsically rewarding; when you’re in flow,
unless you’re passionate about data entry, you’re unlikely to find flow filling out spreadsheets.
High-performing individuals like athletes, musicians, and scientists often attribute their achievements to their ability to access flow states.
has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted. To combat them we need large-scale, systemic change
has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted. To combat them we need large-scale, systemic change – on an individual level, as well as from the tech designers that invented these systems in the first place.
we’re not simultaneously performing several tasks at once. We’re switching between them at hyperspeed.
“switch-cost” effect. When you switch between tasks – or when you’re interrupted mid-task – your brain needs to recalibrate,
The study found that members of the distracted group temporarily dropped an average of ten IQ points while they were completing their
The study found that members of the distracted group temporarily dropped an average of ten IQ points while they were completing their task. In a work climate that values multitasking as
The study found that members of the distracted group temporarily dropped an average of ten IQ points while they were completing their task.
In fact, in the US, the average white-collar worker spends 40 percent of their time engaging in so-called multitasking.
Csikszentmihalyi theorized, when you become so absorbed by a task that you lose all sense of your surroundings and are able to access a deep well of internal focus.
the task should be challenging enough to demand your full attention – but not so difficult that you’re tempted to give up on it.
the process rather than the product that engages you. So, unless you’re passionate about data entry, you’re unlikely to find flow filling out spreadsheets.
unless you’re passionate about data entry, you’re unlikely to find flow filling out spreadsheets.
But in a society that has decided multitasking is a virtue – and that values speed and output over deep focus – the average person is finding it harder and harder to achieve flow.
It’s the system itself that needs to change.
change may be on the horizon in Silicon Valley, where disillusioned designers are beginning to push back against our attention crisis. Former Google engineer Tristan Harris, as well as Aza Raskin – yes, the same Aza who designed the infinite scroll – want to see a non-predatory social media rise from the ashes of our current attention spans.
Social media was designed to steal our attention. But Harris and Raskin are certain it could be redesigned to give our attention back.
how much time you wanted to spend online, and it could work with you to achieve that goal.
tell the platform how much time you wanted to spend online, and it could work with you to achieve that goal.
around the globe, real pushback against our collective attention crisis is seeing inspiring results
around the globe, real pushback against our collective attention crisis is seeing inspiring results. Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand company, instituted a four-day work week. Employees have since reported a better work-life balance, the ability to focus deeper for longer, and decreased susceptibility to distractions.
In France, the escalating demands on our focus are seen for what they are: a health crisis. French doctors grew concerned about the rising number of patients experiencing “le burnout” and took those concerns to the government.
solutions to this collective attention crisis. We can reclaim our attention . . . if only we can focus on the task at hand.
The internet – especially the rise of apps and platforms that prey on our focus – has supercharged this attention drain.
The internet – especially the rise of apps and platforms that prey on our focus – has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately
The internet – especially the rise of apps and platforms that prey on our focus – has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted.
we need large-scale, systemic change – on an individual level, as well as from the tech designers that invented these systems in the first place.
Don’t focus harder on your task – instead, let your mind wander. Doing nothing is actually a valuable form of focus because it facilitates creativity, which arises when you make unexpected mental connections and associations. The longer you can let your thoughts drift, the more unexpected associations your mind can create – which just might help you reclaim some of your stolen focus.
social media is actually designed to sap your focus;
spending less time at work might actually boost your productivity.
Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus.
everyone is struggling to focus.
it’s getting increasingly difficult to focus
In 2013, conversation topics trended on Twitter for an average of 17.5 hours before people lost interest and moved on to a new topic. By 2016, that number had dwindled to 11.6 hours.
the more time we’ve spent in online spaces, the shorter our attention spans have become.
Robert Colvile calls “The Great Acceleration.”
the way we receive information is speeding
this phenomenon actually predates the internet
His capacity for deep focus was dwindling,
spearheaded a study to find out if there was actually evidence to back up his suspicion.
2016, Sune Lehmann
Now, information is not only available to us all the time; it actually intrudes on our lives through the ceaseless pings and notifications coming from our laptops and smartphones.
our brains just haven’t caught up with this acceleration. Research suggests they never
our brains just haven’t caught up with this acceleration. Research suggests they never will.
research in the area of speed-reading suggests that there’s a finite limit to how quickly we can process information.
cognitive capacity of the human brain has not significantly changed in the last 40,000 years.
there’s a reason Silicon Valley calls its customers “users.”
it asked whether tech can change human behavior. And the answer, as you might have guessed, was yes.
Skinner was famous for the experiments he conducted on rats.
Skinner found, to carry out tasks that had no intrinsic meaning to them.
Skinner inspired the creation of other buttons you might recognize: like buttons, share buttons, and comment buttons.
rewarding us for the time we spend on the platforms.
engagement. This refers to how much time a user spends interacting with a product.
what connects us can also divide
Bolsonaro’s victory, like Coletivo Papo Reto’s success, can also be partly attributed to Facebook.
It’s arranged by an algorithm that is programmed to feed us content that keeps us scrolling longer.
Climate change poses a real and present danger to life on earth. But as a species, we can’t seem to absorb the science – or even agree on whether we should be listening to scientists in the first place.
“Our algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.”
We live in an accelerating, consumerist society
Well because, as it turns out, humans are really bad at multitasking.
It was never meant to be applied to humans. After all, we only have one processor: our brain.
“switch-cost” effect.
average of ten IQ points while they were completing their task.
work climate that values multitasking as a sign of peak productivity, distraction is practically encouraged.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first identified this state, which he called “flow.”
then you’ve been in a flow
jigsaw puzzle
according to Cskiszentmihalyi, is that everyone
according to Cskiszentmihalyi, is that everyone can access flow
intrinsically rewarding; when you’re in flow,
unless you’re passionate about data entry, you’re unlikely to find flow filling out spreadsheets.
High-performing individuals like athletes, musicians, and scientists often attribute their achievements to their ability to access flow states.
has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted. To combat them we need large-scale, systemic change
has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted. To combat them we need large-scale, systemic change – on an individual level, as well as from the tech designers that invented these systems in the first place.
You sit down, ready for work, and you get a text. As you're texting back, a news alert appears – so you shift over to read what’s happening. But as you’re halfway through reading the headline, you get another
You sit down, ready for work, and you get a text. As you're texting back, a news alert appears – so you shift over to read what’s happening. But as you’re halfway through reading the headline, you get another ping: someone’s liked the photo that you posted last night. And after checking who it was, you realize they’ve also posted new photos . . . is that a new partner?!
Wait, what were you doing again? Oh,
Wait, what were you doing again? Oh, right: work.
Collectively, our attention spans seem to be dwindling at an alarming rate. And every year, there are more and more distractions and interruptions added to the pile.
forces beyond our control are constantly working to deplete our ability to focus deeply and resist distraction.
give your full attention to these five blinks as we uncover the story of a crisis that’s reached a global scale.
You’re busy all the time, yet you struggle to actually get anything done.
2016, Sune Lehmann was having these exact problems. His capacity for deep focus was dwindling, and he was more susceptible to distractions than ever before. Lehmann is a professor at Denmark’s Technical University
found that this phenomenon actually predates the internet. With every passing decade, trending topics appear and fade with
found that this phenomenon actually predates the internet. With every passing decade, trending
this phenomenon actually predates the internet. With every passing decade, trending
this phenomenon actually predates the internet. With every passing decade, trending topics appear and fade with increasing speed.
good jumping-off point is what think-tank director Robert Colvile calls “The Great Acceleration.” Essentially, the way we receive information is speeding up. In the nineteenth century, for example, news could take days to travel from place to place.
our information inputs – the different modes through which we receive information – have multiplied.
as neuroscientists point out, the cognitive capacity of the human brain has not significantly changed in the last 40,000 years.
asked whether tech can change human behavior. And the answer, as you might have guessed, was yes.
One of the psychologists studied in the lab was B. F. Skinner. Skinner was famous for the experiments he conducted on rats. He’d present a rat with a meaningless task, like pushing a button. But the rat showed no interest in doing this – why would it?
every time the rat pressed the button, it would be rewarded with a pellet of food
like buttons, share buttons, and comment buttons.
the infinite scroll.
If you wanted to keep browsing, you had to actively decide to click ahead.
Raskin invented the infinite scroll – the endlessly refreshing feed of content that now features on the interface of nearly every social media platform, giving the impression that there is a never-ending supply of content. If likes and shares encourage users to stay online longer, the infinite scroll encourages users to stay online in perpetuity.
Raskin, however, has come to regret his invention. At first, he thought the infinite scroll was elegant and efficient. But he became troubled when he noticed how it was changing online habits – including his own.
He estimates that the infinite scroll induces the average user to spend 50 percent more time on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Because the longer you spend “engaging,” the more chances the companies have to sell advertisements. The more you engage, the more companies track your behavior
Because the longer you spend “engaging,” the more chances the companies have to sell advertisements.
business model of most of these platforms is predicated on time – or, as they call it, engagement. This refers to how much time a user spends interacting with a product.
Roco - sucfess mgtric not about time but successcul valuable completed reomenations between friends
We don’t pay for platforms like Facebook and Instagram with our money. But we do pay with another precious, finite commodity: our attention.
And it’s an open secret that the police shoot to kill. When innocent kids get in the way of their bullets, the police plant drugs or weapons on them and claim self-defense.
“Coletivo Papo Reto,” which collects and disseminates videos of the police shooting innocent people.
situation in Alemão has only gotten worse since the election of Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro.
Lately, it feels like online platforms have been much more intent on dividing than connecting.
It’s easier to disengage from calm, positive content.
It’s easier to disengage from calm, positive content. But if something strikes us as outrageous or controversial, we tend to keep looking. It’s part of a psychological phenomenon called negativity bias – that is, negative experiences impact us more than positive ones. So it’s in social media’s interest to literally provoke its users.
A 2018 study that analyzed extreme right-wing militants in the US found that the majority of them were initially radicalized on YouTube.
when online platforms privilege divisive, shocking content, they also corrode our power for collective attention – our ability, as a society, to focus on issues that affect us.
They persuaded their fellow citizens to join the cause. Eventually, they put enough pressure on governments that the use of CFCs was banned.
the outcome might have been different if we hadn’t focused our collective attention
Would we be able to collectively train our focus on a similar issue today? We already know the answer to this question.
But as a species, we can’t seem to absorb the science – or even agree on whether we should be listening to scientists in the first place.
We’re too busy infinitely scrolling.
We live in an accelerating, consumerist society – one that values speed and output. And in this climate, we’re encouraged to “quantify” our attention in terms of what immediate results it yields.
we’re not simultaneously performing several tasks at once. We’re switching between them at hyperspeed.
“switch-cost” effect. When you switch between tasks – or when you’re interrupted mid-task – your brain needs to recalibrate,
The study found that members of the distracted group temporarily dropped an average of ten IQ points while they were completing their
The study found that members of the distracted group temporarily dropped an average of ten IQ points while they were completing their task. In a work climate that values multitasking as
The study found that members of the distracted group temporarily dropped an average of ten IQ points while they were completing their task.
In fact, in the US, the average white-collar worker spends 40 percent of their time engaging in so-called multitasking.
Csikszentmihalyi theorized, when you become so absorbed by a task that you lose all sense of your surroundings and are able to access a deep well of internal focus.
the task should be challenging enough to demand your full attention – but not so difficult that you’re tempted to give up on it.
the process rather than the product that engages you. So, unless you’re passionate about data entry, you’re unlikely to find flow filling out spreadsheets.
But in a society that has decided multitasking is a virtue – and that values speed and output over deep focus – the average person is finding it harder and harder to achieve flow.
It’s the system itself that needs to change.
change may be on the horizon in Silicon Valley, where disillusioned designers are beginning to push back against our attention crisis. Former Google engineer Tristan Harris, as well as Aza Raskin – yes, the same Aza who designed the infinite scroll – want to see a non-predatory social media rise from the ashes of our current attention spans.
Social media was designed to steal our attention. But Harris and Raskin are certain it could be redesigned to give our attention back.
how much time you wanted to spend online, and it could work with you to achieve that goal.
tell the platform how much time you wanted to spend online, and it could work with you to achieve that goal.
around the globe, real pushback against our collective attention crisis is seeing inspiring results
around the globe, real pushback against our collective attention crisis is seeing inspiring results. Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand company, instituted a four-day work week. Employees have since reported a better work-life balance, the ability to focus deeper for longer, and decreased susceptibility to distractions.
In France, the escalating demands on our focus are seen for what they are: a health crisis. French doctors grew concerned about the rising number of patients experiencing “le burnout” and took those concerns to the government.
solutions to this collective attention crisis. We can reclaim our attention . . . if only we can focus on the task at hand.
The internet – especially the rise of apps and platforms that prey on our focus – has supercharged this attention drain.
The internet – especially the rise of apps and platforms that prey on our focus – has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately
The internet – especially the rise of apps and platforms that prey on our focus – has supercharged this attention drain. And it’s not due to a personal flaw or individual weakness. Most of these attention-grabbing methods are intentional; they’re elaborately designed for the very purpose of keeping you distracted.
we need large-scale, systemic change – on an individual level, as well as from the tech designers that invented these systems in the first place.
Don’t focus harder on your task – instead, let your mind wander. Doing nothing is actually a valuable form of focus because it facilitates creativity, which arises when you make unexpected mental connections and associations. The longer you can let your thoughts drift, the more unexpected associations your mind can create – which just might help you reclaim some of your stolen focus.
