Fast Clarity: The Answer in an Attention Economy
Bokardo says:
Fast clarity is valuable; shock value isn’t.
The basic problem for designers working in an attention economy, I believe, is this:
- The more information there is to attend to, the less attention any one interface (web site, app, service) will have
- As attention goes down because of competition, the importance of fast clarity becomes crucial
- Fast clarity is instant recognition, understanding, and plan for action
- In an attempt at fast clarity, we often confuse it with shock value, which is short term attention grabbing without long-term benefits
- Most interfaces exist for long-term benefits
I would integrate the excellent points made by Bokardo with:
- The writing style: write online articles using the inverted pyramid style: put the conclusion at the beginning followed by the most important supporting information and then close with the background.
- The options selection: Every time you provide an option, you’re asking the user to make a decision. That means they will have to think about something and decide about it. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but, in general, you should always try to minimize the number of decisions that people have to make..
- The Pursuit of Interface Design Simplicity: Don’t fight the medium. Maintain a clear focus. Look at it from your audience’s perspective.
See Bokardo’s mentioned article at: Bokardo » Fast Clarity: The Answer in an Attention Economy