{"id":8943,"date":"2021-03-15T18:18:46","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T22:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=8943"},"modified":"2021-03-15T18:18:47","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T22:18:47","slug":"designing-for-digital-fatigue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/designing-for-digital-fatigue\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Design for the Screen When Everyone Is Sick of Staring at Screens"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Ever felt like just turning on your camera for your sixth consecutive Zoom meeting might just make your head explode? When Jim from finance asks if everybody can see his screen at 8:30 in the morning, does it turn your normally sweet, considerate self into the Incredible Hulk? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hey, it\u2019s not just you, and you should know that feeling has a name: digital fatigue. According to Dr. Alexander Aizman, a visionary physician and surgeon, digital fatigue is the \u201cphysical discomfort that is experienced after prolonged exposure to a digital screen such as a laptop, computer, mobile phone, e-reader, or tablet.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we stare at screens for longer\u2014the average daily time spent with digital media is approaching eight hours<\/a>, compared to six in 2018\u2014that fatigue increases. And it\u2019s increasingly falling on the designers of those screens to find ways to minimize it. What\u2019s the best way to create online content that people want to engage with\u2026 when people are fatigued by online content? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, let\u2019s get into the real reason for digital fatigue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to let your boss know: Video conferencing is bad for you. According to researchers at the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab<\/a> (VHIL), there are four key psychological explanations for why long video chats are particularly exhausting. They are<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The prolonged eye contact with faces that are unnaturally close.<\/li>
  2. The effort expended watching yourself and monitoring your facial expressions. <\/li>
  3. The limited mobility when you\u2019re sitting frozen in front of a camera. <\/li>
  4. The heavy cognitive load associated with time on video.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In other words, it makes us feel like we need to be on for big chunks of our days. \u201cVideo chatting forces us to focus more intently, reduces natural silences, and creates a more intense feeling of being watched,\u201d wrote<\/a> Jon Fee and Devi Thomas, marketing leaders for Salesforce<\/a>\u2019s social impact center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And according to<\/a> Jeff Hancock, the founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab<\/a>, recognizing that video-chatting is cognitively taxing is the first step toward better integrating this changing behavior in our daily lives. \u201cWhen we first had elevators, we didn\u2019t know whether we should stare at each other or not in that space,\u201d Hancock said. \u201cWe had to evolve ways to make it work for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to design for digital fatigue <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    How should creatives respond to this cognitive overload and general screen exhaustion? While there\u2019s no foolproof way to design something that\u2019s gentle on the eyes, clean and usable designs that still satisfy users might be most effective for the digitally fatigued. Walls of text can make a fatigued audience\u2019s eyes glaze over, but simple graphics with easy-to-understand takeaways can make important information easier to grasp. Simply put, digital fatigue is just another reason to not<\/em> do lazy, uninspired design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Legendary industrial designer Dieter Rams<\/a> codified the components of good design, and although \u201cdigital fatigue\u201d wasn\u2019t a thing in the 20th century, his rules aged remarkably well. A few of Rams\u2019 10 heuristics are especially applicable for designing in the era of digital fatigue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Good design is innovative<\/strong>: It always starts by identifying a problem, and then trying to solve it. During this moment of heightened digital fatigue, whether you\u2019re working on a product or on a branding project, don\u2019t lose sight that good design is ultimately innovating on what has come before.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. Good design is unobtrusive<\/strong>: <\/strong>The design of a product should be intentional, but never distract from its purpose. Design should be stripped back and straightforward to give the user room to express themselves, not project the designer\u2019s self-expression.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        1. Good design is thorough down to the last detail<\/strong>: <\/strong>Good design can\u2019t just look<\/em> like good design. Everything has to be accounted for, down to the last detail. The process and the craft are as important as the product. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          1. Good design involves as little design as possible<\/strong>: <\/strong>Do less. Be thoughtful, but simple. Be mindful of the details, but prioritize the essentials. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            In the era of digital fatigue, Rams\u2019 heuristics of good design are now more important than ever. Making honest, long-lasting and unobtrusive digital products is going to be an essential part of making sure you don’t fatigue your users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n