Digital products function as time-shaping mechanisms, impacting how moments feel and memory coherence. Unlike urban planning, mainstream digital design prioritizes capturing attention over enriching experiences. Digital environments accelerate attention depletion through task-switching and shallow stimuli, leading to fragmented focus. Attention is a renewable resource; however, when divided, it shortens the perception of time, potentially erasing the feeling of moments. Thus, digital architecture presents critical challenges to human experiences and ethical considerations regarding time and attention management.
When we think of 'digital product design', it's tempting to frame it in terms of usability, engagement, or revenue. But those are surface-level outputs. Underneath, design decisions are time-shaping mechanisms.
Digital spaces can accelerate or slow perception, sharpen or dull awareness, strengthen or erode memory. The trouble is, most mainstream digital products are optimized for capturing attention, not enriching it.
Attention is often described as scarce, but in reality it's renewable. The problem is that digital environments can accelerate its depletion by scattering it too thinly.
Think of attention like light: Focused light can illuminate deeply, creating rich, detailed memories. Diffused light brightens everything a little but leaves nothing clearly visible.
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