I love my Kindle. It allows me to read and buy a new book, and that’s it. Everything on it is oriented towards reading e-books. When you’re reading a book on it, there’s nothing else on the screen and no interruptions.
I hate my smartphone. It allows me to do almost anything without a clear sign of what’s more important. I can receive a notification about a doctor’s appointment for my kids or the last offer from a random brand I bought from once; both can interrupt me in the same way.
Sometimes I grab my phone to do something, and 20 minutes later, I realize I’m checking a random news page or browsing Reddit, not remembering what I wanted to do originally.
Maybe having so many options and tools is not good for us. Is there a way to design these products to prioritize a clearer purpose when using them?
We should probably demand better designs of the things we use the most, or, if not, try to set them up in a way that can help us.
I’m exploring ways to improve my focus and being less distracted by technology. I’ll share a few articles on the topic in the coming weeks.