Kronos: An Attention-Aware System
You will probably not get to the end of this brief text. Neither would you wait patiently for a stop sign, an image to load or in line to enter the bus. Besides, you will probably cancel that video which is slowly streaming on your phone right now because it tells you that somebody, somewhere is tagging you in something that absolutely cannot wait. The triggers of digital information run in great levels of speed, volume and accessibility. Though visual perception is fast and seemingly effortless, the ease and speed with which we see the world obscures the fact that perception requires active processing.
Today, this is overwhelming our capabilities as humans as it causes us to lose focus easily. We might even end up being burned-out from the abundance of digital triggers and the addictive need to respond to them. To release some of this burden, the human brain adjusts to less attentional output - which gives us an attention-span shorter than that of a goldfish. Can we, as communication specialists and graphic designers, think of new ways of dealing with (visual) information?
Winner Drempelprijs 2018 - scroll down to the bottom for the jury rapport.
The Application
Stop staring, start playing. The result of the design experiments* is Kronos, a gaze-tracking computer application that offers assignments which can train your attention-span. Each platform exists out of a tiny game, that needs to be completed within a limited amount of time. For example, 'catching' a load of images with your eyes or navigating through a maze of shapes without leaving the shape's surface. At the end of the game a score will be calculated - a score based on the assignment results, but also on your dwell time on subjects and the player’s focus on distractions that are placed on the platform. Together they form the result of your current attention-span.
*For detailed information on the experiments feel free to reach out to regarding the full research paper.
Development
For using the game you need an eye-tracker. For the development phase of Kronos I used the Tobii Eyetracker C+, which comes with a development kit so it can be altered or further tinkered with. In and about six months I experimented with the possibilities of interactive eye-tracking and developed a 'gaze and click' code for the tracker. This is necessary for the game, as you can gaze at anything for four seconds and the system responds to it - similar to clicking with the mousepad.
Design
While working on the coding part for the tracker, there was also the investigation for the design. By reading a lot of papers, collaborating with various cognitive researchers in the field, and performing tests on what triggers someone's attention (in advertising, when searching for something, playing a game) my own paper became a summary of these connections that are triggering our focus - and what is causing its loss. The result came together in 'The Attentional Template'.
The Attentional Template
According to 'The Attention Template', there are three stages we go about when we try to absorb information. (1) Alert, (2) Orientation and (3) Control. In order to absorb information, use and remember it, we complete this whole template in our brain. In the second stage, Orientation, we use our suppressive functions to filter the content we need.
(Lack of) Suppressive Function
Nowadays we do not finish this template in our brains. We are easily distracted by multitasking at the same time with (for example) our smartphones, creating a lack of our suppressive functions. By constantly being online we remain in a constant state of Alert, which gives us the attention-span of a goldfish.
The Near Future?
The goal of my product was to change the way we deal with triggers and knowledge absorption in our brain, to extend our focus and therefore the length of our attention-span. Just like Tetris, I aim to have small games like these recode habit into manner. For you, when you want to do your job but are constantly distracted by your phone. When you are writing, perhaps your thesis as well, but your roommate is having a party downstairs. Or when you want to read a book but the pages are too long, and there are just so many words that you can’t fit the knowledge inside of your brain.
Next to finding new ways for the design field, a tool like Kronos can be among the design solutions that help people deal with visual information. How can we as designers design for the future consumer if their attention-spans are becoming shorter? Could we actually design to limit the limited attention-span? Just as in Van Bree’s ‘Artificial Ignorance’, where an A.I. reminds you of memories through relevant Google Image searches, instead of showing your actual pictures. As the growth of information will not stop, and the way we interact with information in our brains has changed, I think such design solutions are key to how advertising and the attention-span can evolve.
Thank you for reading and ongratulations, you have reached the end of this text.
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Winner Drempelprijs 2018
Jury Rapport
"Camie's enquiry was 'How can I contribute to new ways of dealing with visual information? Can I develop an aid that will help overcome our collectively shared struggle, the trouble with staying focused?' She combined her background as a graphic designer with the code-writing and interactive skills and came up with her own software that registers users' online behaviour with the help of eye-tracking hardware and aims to alter this behaviour. The jury admires Camie's extensive research, both scientific and focused on implementation as well as on the users, hardware and digital craft. Camie has entered an exciting field of yet to be developed graphic interfaces based on neurological research." Full jury report will be published next week.
Jury Commercial Practices: Marina Toeters (by-wire.net) - chairman, Dirk Vis (WdKA) - secretary, Janjoost Jullens (Wolfpack), Susan Bijl (SUSAN BIJL), Rufus Ketting (Natwerk).
