“The scarce resource of the 21st century will not be technology; it will be attention.” — Mark Weiser

Imagine you’re having a positive, fully immersive conversation with someone in a restaurant. Your concentration is focused on the person across from you.

In this context, how would a server complement this experience? Detract from it?

Some servers ignore you and need to be tracked down, which negatively affects the overall experience. Others organically know when and how to interrupt you.

More often than not, servers adjust their approach based on your verbal and non-verbal cues. This example is a reminder that humans are the true experts in adapting. We can apply this analogy to technology; a person may desire real-time pop-ups or in-text communications when we share tips, updates, or alerts. Or, those may be distracting and disrupt their flow..

Achieving focus

When technology communicates and behaves well, it enables you to do what you want to, on your terms. It communicates in ways that allow you to focus, and achieve the level of concentration you need to accomplish a task.

Learning from people

I wanted to learn how to design interruptions more respectfully from people working in multiple industries, cognitive science experts in and outside of Microsoft, and those with heightened sensory sensitivity. This manifested in interviews with chefs, emergency room doctors, pilots, cognitive psychologists, people who spoke English as a second language, and people who have disabilities — seen and unseen.

Take a look at this guide detailing what I learned and, the short-film below.