Attention Economy

This activity was surely an exercise in frustration, yet it made me aware of many of the subtle tools web advertisers use to gain and retain my attention; it also made me keenly sensitive to the difference between well-designed web interfaces and poor. For starters, the timer immediately raises one's anxiety by implying a sense of urgency; this urgency is compounded by the fact that the user interface displays a pop-up every minute to remind the user of how much time they have spent (read: wasted) trying to complete the form. Furthermore, the tools such as the checkboxes are clunky such that one must check each box individually, though several pages had a "check all" and "uncheck all" hidden amongst other options; the fact that I was so easily frustrated implies that I have already been trained by alternate survey/form platforms to complete the page as soon as possible, which maintains my engagement as long as needed. Finally, the close box and instructions often had coloured buttons over non-functional options (i.e. the lock/unlock button), which further indicates the visual cues web designers integrate to guide our behaviour. In all, this simulation revealed that I have already been "trained" in subtle ways I didn't fully understand, and much as I didn't appreciate the "User Inyerface" during my interaction with it, I appreciate the lesson learned from it (also, if anyone could confirm whether it is indeed possible to finish it, please let me know in the comments; I have grown too frustrated with the "click all checks" screen and resolved that the final stage is impossible to complete).