Current devices & their quest for our central attention

The design of current central technical devices centers around the idea of user engagement. As I mentioned before, these devices are built around the concept of user input and require human attention to function properly. Thus, they always need human’s central attention in order to complete the tasks. The user is the one who decides how the system will operate and the inputs it will receive in order to complete the desired task. Essentially, human attention is the driving force behind these devices.

The quest for human attention has become a competition among companies, a so-called 'attention war'. In the last 20 years, companies have worked to capture users' attention and influence their behavior, with the aim of driving revenue and gaining market share. Through various means, they've attempted to control how people engage with technology and what they do with their time and money.

I cannot agree for a future like this. Where we are left with less and less time. And our behavior being impacted by companies gaining the data.

The two major consequences of giving away our attention to tech companies are: 1) These companies gain the power to influence our behavior and spending habits, and 2) Negative effect on our cognitive capabilities due to limited bandwidth.  As per the leading research, humans can only keep up with 6 pieces of information at a time for processing. Constant interruptions and distractions limit our ability to focus. By allowing technology to take on more of the tasks that require our attention, we can potentially reclaim some of our cognitive bandwidth. With this extra mental capacity, we may be able to achieve more than ever before, perhaps in ways we can't even imagine yet.

During the initial days of personal computing and mobile phones, it was clear that detailed data monitoring comes with the power of behavioral modification. But, at the same time, research on devices and personalized ads has been going on in labs funded by corporations. In the end imagine how delighted General Motors and Nissan would be to have the opportunity to advertise to you specifically when you start looking for a new BMW back in the 90s. Famous computer scientist Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT Media Labs is said to be amongst the first technologists to suggest the above approach.

The last part seems very similar to the Exxon concealing the impact of fossil fuel on climate back in 1970s despite having the information.  

How does it need to change with Ambient Computing devices?

Ambient computing is the perfect solution for addressing the issue of overstretched attention and cognitive bandwidth. Rather than requiring active engagement, ambient computing systems work in the background to provide assistance without disrupting the user's focus. When they do need to seek human input, I believe the systems should be designed to only require the user's peripheral attention, so they can maintain their central focus on the task at hand.

To enable a fluid human-machine symbiosis, swift & efficient two way communication is mandatory. I believe this can only be done by taking the {machine → human} communication behind the scenes by utilizing attention effectively. So that humans can put their full central attention to the task/objective at hand. And Machines can assist humans wherever required by perceiving the situation. Important is the capability to not lose focus, but still get the required support from machines.

Building devices that utilize peripheral attention allows for a more natural and intuitive interaction between humans and technology. By engaging the user's peripheral vision, these devices can provide information and support without distracting from the primary task at hand. This can lead to a more seamless and efficient experience, as users can access the information they need without having to shift their focus away from what they're doing.

Building for the Subconscious Mind

Let’s start by understanding what we mean by peripheral attention. → It's the way our brain processes information that is in our field of view but is not the primary focus of our attention. It's a subconscious form of attention that allows us to be aware of our surroundings and alert to changes in our environment.

We believe peripheral attention is an untapped resource yet to be taken up in models of human-machine interaction. Peripheral attention processes information parallelly which significantly increases the amount of information that can be placed in front of humans. It is up to the human and their processing to take things from peripheral to central attention and vice versa.

This way, ambient technology can engage with both the center and the periphery of our attention, and in fact move back and forth between the two. This way, we are able to trigger our tacit knowledge. As said by Mr. Polanyi “know more than we can tell”. Ambient devices similarly give information to our subconscious for it to decide, interpret, and further, pass it to central attention. Here, our peripheral attention helps in knowing, and central attention helps in telling.

We will discuss the vastness of tacit knowledge in another note.