by julia.trummer -

#7 Decision fatigue

Update

Here’s a small update on the last blog post where I mentioned that elderly people don’t really use technology for entertainment. Some family members recently got a new TV and were complaining that Netflix is installed everywhere. I talked to them about it and they told me they don’t really understand why it’s there at all. They said they don’t need it and would rather just watch whatever is on TV something random, without having to think about it.

They also mentioned that on Netflix they often don’t even know what they would search for, which makes the whole experience feel unnecessary. With TV, something is always already playing. It feels like they just want to watch without having to decide first and the topic itself doesn’t matter that much. This is something i found quite interesting and will do some research on.

I beliefe this phenomenon might be explained by the following:

Reduced Processing Capacity and Cognitive Effort

  1. As individuals age, their available processing capacity and attentional resources decline, meaning they can process fewer discrete bits of information in a given time. [1]
    • Self-Initiated Processing: Digital entertainment often requires “self-initiated” processing, such as navigating complex menus or reorganising information in working memory, which shows substantial losses with age. [1]
    • Cognitive Load: If a digital interface is cluttered or complex, it demands high cognitive effort to navigate. When the effort required to make decisions within an app (such as choosing content or managing settings) exceeds the user’s available resources, it leads to frustration and a desire to stop using the technology. [2]

The Relationship Between Ease of Use and Usefulness

  1. For older adults, perceived usefulness is deeply linked to ease of use.
    • Immediate Benefits: Older adults are less likely to perceive a technology as useful if its benefits do not manifest easily and quickly during actual use. [3]
    • The “Visual Gymnastics” Effect: Users who have already spent a long day performing “visual gymnastics” to focus on digital content may find it harder to engage with non-standard or complex designs. If a digital entertainment platform requires unnecessary cognitive effort to understand its navigation, it disrupts the user’s mental model and erodes trust. [4]

Age Patterns in Entertainment Attitudes

  1. There is a pronounced age effect specifically regarding communication and entertainment devices (such as tablets and social networks), where positive attitudes towards them fall significantly as age increases. [3]
    • Significant Decline: Compared to those in their 50s, individuals aged 80+ are 47 to 48 percentage points less likely to value entertainment devices. [4]
    • Experience vs. Effort: This decline is partly attributed to older generations having less acquaintance and experience with these devices. Consequently, every interaction requires more “learning” effort, which can be exhausting, leading to a lower perception of the technology’s overall usefulness. [4]

Usability Barriers as a Deterrent

  1. Design flaws that increase decision-making friction directly impact perceived usefulness:
    • Navigation Issues: Confusing or cluttered navigation leads to hesitation and abandonment. [4]
    • Information Overload: Seniors are often more thorough in searching for information but are more prone to being distracted by irrelevant details and losing focus. [5]
    • Numeric and Spatial Fluence: A decline in numeracy can make it difficult for older adults to interpret data-heavy interfaces (like those found in complex gaming or streaming settings), further complicating their ability to see the technology as a “help” or “value”. [2]

Summary Table: Effort vs. Perceived Usefulness

BarrierImpact on Perceived Usefulness
Complex InterfacesIncreases cognitive load, leading to user errors and frustration.
Delayed RewardsIf benefits aren’t immediate, the user views the tool as cumbersome rather than useful.
Working Memory DeclineMakes active updating and navigation effortful and “costly” to carry out.
Lack of ConsistencyDisrupts mental models, causing hesitation and a loss of confidence.

Sources

[1] F. Craik, ‘Memory Changes in Normal Aging’, Current Directions in Psychological Science – CURR DIRECTIONS PSYCHOL SCI, vol. 3, pp. 155–158, 10 1994.

[2] G. A. Wildenbos, L. Peute, and M. Jaspers, “Aging barriers influencing mobile health usability for older adults: A literature based framework (MOLD-US),” International Journal of Medical Informatics, vol. 114, pp. 66–75, Jun. 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2018.03.012.

[3] N. Halmdienst, M. Radhuber, and R. Winter-Ebmer, “Attitudes of elderly Austrians towards new technologies: communication and entertainment versus health and support use,” European Journal of Ageing, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 513–523, Apr. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00508-y.

[4] Thefinchdesignagency, “Building User Trust in UX Design: Proven Strategies for Better Engagement,” Medium, Feb. 05, 2025. https://medium.com/@thefinchdesignagency/building-user-trust-in-ux-design-proven-strategies-for-better-engagement-c975aa381516

[5] D. Orzeszek et al., ‘Beyond participatory design: Towards a model for teaching seniors application design’, arXiv preprint arXiv:1707. 05667, 2017.

by muhammad.turk -

Why I’m Hitting Pause

Design & Research | Master Thesis Log 07

I sat down tonight to write a very different blog post.

My plan was perfect. I was going to show you the charts from my latest interviews. I was going to explain the difference between “active” and “passive” users. I was going to act like I had everything figured out.

But if I am being completely honest with you? I don’t.
Right now, I am stuck.

They tell you that research is a straight line. You have a question, you find data, and you get an answer. But nobody tells you about the “Fog.” The Fog is where I am right now. It is that messy, confusing middle part where you have too much information and no idea where to put it.

Drowning in Data Over the past few weeks, I have collected so much. I have hours of conversations with photographers. I have folders full of notes about AI, automation, and the history of the camera.

But instead of making things clearer, the data has made everything harder.
Should I focus on the art itself?
Should I focus on the psychology of the photographer?
Should I focus on the interface design of the camera?

Every time I look at my notes, I see a million different paths I could take. It feels like standing in the middle of a busy intersection with traffic coming from every direction. I am paralyzed by the possibilities.

Losing the Joy Somewhere along the way, I think I lost the fun of this project.

When I started, I was excited. I loved the question: “Does automation kill the artist?” It felt important. But lately, the pressure to produce “results” has taken over. I found myself rushing through the research just to get to the finish line. I stopped listening to what the data was telling me because I was too busy trying to force a solution.

I was trying to design the final product before I even understood the problem.

The Power of the Pause So, this blog post is my stop sign.

I am giving myself permission to stop running. I realized that if I keep sprinting in the dark, I am just going to hit a wall. I need to stop frantically searching for the “right” direction and just let the information sink in.

I need to go back and listen to those interviews again—not to extract quotes for a presentation, but to actually hear the emotions in their voices. I need to look at the photos again. I need to remember why I cared about this topic in the first place.

I don’t know exactly what my next step is. I don’t know if the final result will be a new camera mode, a manifesto, or a physical prototype. And to be honest, that uncertainty is really scary. It feels like I am failing.

But maybe feeling lost is just proof that I am actually exploring something new. If I knew the answer already, it wouldn’t be research, right?

For now, I am going to turn off my “analyst brain” and just breathe. The answers will come, but only if I give them space to arrive.

    by julia.trummer -

    #6 Technology Acceptance Across Ageing Societies

    Central and Northern Europe: Austria, Finland and the Netherlands

    In many European nations, the digital gap is defined by a sharp decline in internet use as individuals enter their late 70s and 80s.

    • Austria: A significant gap persists between younger and older cohorts. While 95% of Austrians aged 16 to 74 used the internet in 2023, only 53.8% of those aged 75 to 84 were online. Within this older group, the gap widens further: 64% of 75- to 79-year-olds are online, compared to just 43% of those aged 80 to 84. [3]
    • Finland: Research highlights that the gap is not just age-dependent but linked to frailty. While 80% of non-frail Finnish individuals have internet access, this drops to 46% among those considered frail, indicating that health status is a primary driver of the digital divide in this region. [4]
    • The Netherlands: Studies here show that technology use is negatively associated with lower social status and physical functioning, though gender differences in ICT use were not significantly observed in Dutch samples. [4]

    Japan: Leading with Followers

    Japan is a unique case due to its position as a world leader in demographic ageing, which has turned the country into a global laboratory for technology adoption.

    • Necessity as a Driver: Unlike other nations where technology may be viewed as a luxury, Japan’s acute labour shortages in agriculture and caregiving have forced a higher acceptance of automation. For example, the average age of a Japanese farmer is 68.4 years, leading to the widespread deployment of ICT-enabled heavy machinery to augment the skills of an ageing workforce. [1]
    • Psychological Drivers: A comparative study between Japan and the UK regarding online public services found that self-efficacy and ageing satisfaction were more prominent determinants of technology readiness and usage in the Japanese elderly population. [1]

    What is ICT-enabled heavy machinery?

    At its core, heavy tech machinery refers to large, powerful equipment integrated with modern technologies like GPS, telematics, IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and advanced software. Unlike their purely mechanical predecessors, these machines can communicate, self-diagnose and perform tasks with a high level of accuracy. [2]

    The United States: Sociodemographic and Racial Patterns

    In the United States, the digital age gap is heavily influenced by a combination of sociodemographic factors and physical health.

    • Patterns of Use: US data indicates that technology use among older adults is strongly correlated with younger age, male gender, white race, higher education and being married. [4]
    • Health as a Barrier: Also physical fitness is a major hurdle; more than 75% of the American population aged 65+ reports difficulties in physical functioning, which correlates with decreased technology use. Furthermore, approximately 21% of US seniors have visual impairments that complicate digital screen interaction. [4]

    Developing Countries: China and Bangladesh

    In developing regions, the gap is often influenced by cultural norms and the speed of infrastructure development.

    • China: This region has seen a surge in research, particularly regarding smartphone acceptance. However, findings suggest that Chinese seniors under 65 are more likely to adopt these technologies, while older cohorts remain more resistant. [5]
    • Bangladesh: A distinct cultural gap exists here; older adults traditionally use mobile phones only for typical voice calls. The concept of receiving health care advice via a phone is a relatively new and daunting concept, leading to higher levels of technology anxiety compared to developed nations. [5]

    Sources

    [1] K. Kushida, “Japan’s Aging Society as a Technological Opportunity,” 2024. Accessed: Dec. 23, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://carnegie-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/files/ Kushida_Demographics%20and%20Tech%20Trajectories_final.pdf#page=23.21

    [2] “What Exactly is Heavy Tech Machinery?,” Heavytechservices.ca, 2025. https://www.heavytechservices.ca/what-exactly-is-heavy-tech-machinery (accessed Jan. 05, 2026).

    [3] N. Djahangiri, V. Kropfreiter, and J. Peterbauer, Internetnutzung von älteren Menschen in Österreich: Ergebnisse der Erhebung zum Einsatz von Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien in Haushalten 2023. Wien, Austria: Statistik Austria, 2023.

    [4] N. Halmdienst, M. Radhuber, and R. Winter-Ebmer, “Attitudes of elderly Austrians towards new technologies: communication and entertainment versus health and support use,” European Journal of Ageing, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 513–523, Apr. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-019-00508-y.

    [5] Y.-Y. Yap, S.-H. Tan, and S.-W. Choon, “Elderly’s intention to use technologies: A systematic literature review,” Heliyon, vol. 8, no. 1, p. e08765, Jan. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08765.

    by julia🐨razumovskaia -

    Embodied Interaction: How the Body Influences Our Perception of Slowness 7/10

    #slowness #slowliving #slowinteraction #digitalcalm #calmtechnology

    UX and UI design is often viewed as a visual or cognitive discipline: layout, flows, clarity, usability.

    However, every interaction with a digital service is also a physical experience. Users hold devices, move their fingers, adjust their posture, pause, breathe, and repeat gestures hundreds of times a day. The body is not an external factor, but the environment through which digital interaction takes place.

    In the context of physical interaction, the main focus is on the physical layer of the user experience. This is especially important in “slowness”, as slowing down is not only perceived mentally or visually. It is felt through movement, tension, rhythm, and physical effort. Interfaces shape the behavior of the body — and, consequently, how time is perceived.

    🤹‍♂️ The Body Inside Everyday Digital Services

    Most everyday applications implicitly train the body to move quickly. Social media feeds encourage rapid scrolling, messaging apps reward instant responses, and productivity tools favor quick taps and minimal friction. These models may optimize efficiency, but they also accelerate the body’s rhythm:

    Fingers move faster, attention shifts more frequently, and interactions become reactive.

    [1] Lived Customer Experience

    👋 Slow Gestures as UX Decisions

    Gesture design is a powerful time management tool. When interaction is based on slow or prolonged gestures, it naturally discourages impulsive use.

    Examples:

    👉Long press instead of instant tap — requires a decision, not a reflex.
    👉Holding to confirm actions — prevents accidental behavior.
    👉Gradual unfolding of interactions — unfolds over time rather than ending instantly.

    “A delayed button press is not just about waiting — it’s about signalling intention and providing feedback that connects the user’s body to the system. It creates a moment for the user to feel the interaction, rather than skim through UI elements without awareness.” — Lodestar Design [2]

    👻 Tactile interaction and physical presence

    Touch is not just a means of input, it carries emotional and temporal meaning. Touching, pressing, sliding, or holding are felt differently by the body, and interfaces that take this difference into account create a greater sense of stability.

    Meditation and journaling apps often use this approach, avoiding aggressive touch navigation in favor of smooth transitions and prolonged touchscreen interaction.

    A good example is the Calm [3] app, where respond smoothly to touch duration and pressure, that creates a stronger sense of presence. Instead of treating input as abstract commands, they treat it as physical engagement.

    🏃 Movement-based feedback and body rhythm

    Movement plays a key role in how the body interprets digital feedback. Abrupt animations signal urgency and demand attention. Smooth, gradual movements better match natural physical expectations.

    Calm motion-based feedback:

    👉 reduces startle response;
    👉 supports continuity rather than interruption;
    👉 mirrors the dynamics of physical processes in the real world.

    Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines emphasize motion that feels “natural and respectful of user focus”, especially in transitions and state changes. This approach helps interactions feel less mechanical and more embodied.

    “Aim for brevity and precision in feedback animations. When animated feedback is brief and precise, it tends to feel lightweight and unobtrusive.” — Apple Human Interface Guidelines, Motion [4]

    ⏸️ Pauses, Stillness, and Physiological Effects

    Continuous interaction keeps the body in a state of readiness. Interfaces that never pause encourage shallow breathing and constant micro-movement. In contrast, designs that allow stillness — screens that wait, moments without animation, interactions without immediate feedback — create space for physiological regulation.

    Some focus and writing tools deliberately avoid real-time notifications or visual noise, allowing users to remain physically settled for longer periods.

    Good example is iA Writer, which minimizes interface elements to reduce physical and cognitive agitation.

    📢 Why Embodied Interaction is important in UX/UI design

    Without taking the body into account, slow design risks becoming superficial—calm visual effects are superimposed on fast, demanding interaction models. True slowness arises when visual, cognitive, and physical rhythms are aligned.

    Designing with embodiment in mind means designing with how services are actually used, not just how they look on screens.

    Sources 🛈

    [1] Phenomenology and CX: Designing for Lived Experience in a Digital World. New Metrics. Available at: https://www.newmetrics.net/insights/phenomenology-and-cx-designing-for-lived-experience-in-a-digital-world/

    [2] Process Doc: Micro Interactions of a Delayed Button Press. Lodestar Design (Medium). Available at: https://medium.com/@lodestar-design/process-doc-micro-interactions-of-a-delayed-button-press-456d7bcfb0b3

    [3] Calm: Meditation, Sleep, and Relaxation App. Calm.com. Available at: https://www.calm.com/

    [4] Motion — Human Interface Guidelines. Apple Developer. Available at: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/motion/

    by karen.johannesen -

    Turning the table: Socialised event app

    After the first four previous blog posts I reached a point where I was unsure of how to move forward. Personally I found it difficult to see where I could contribute through interaction design – although there are plenty of possibilities. I struggled mostly with finding a direction that I felt comfortable with and doable for me to go through with for my thesis, given my current motivation, knowledge and interest. Therefore I have decided to go back to scratch. 

    Through a conversation with a professor from my home university, NTNU, I aired the idea of an application and/or website that would gather events into one platform, making the search for the weekend plans a bit easier. She further added the thought of looking at it from a student perspective, for example also as an erasmus student. This reminded me of the talk about a “loneliness” epidemic, and the hostel app where you can join activities of other solo travellers. 

    There are many questions that could be asked around this “topic” or idea. How big is the need for a system that gathers events and happenings into one app, from the users perspective? As all kinds of events would be available for all kinds of people, how would the event hosts feel about this in regards to the target group they are trying to reach? And for the environment they are trying to create? Would it work well practically? How could one ensure safety for the users wanting to join an event with strangers?

    In a publication by the Joint Research Center it was written that loneliness was more common among students compared to working people (Berlingieri, Colagrossi & Mauri, 2023). A survey done on students in the US in spring in 2025 by NCHA found that 46.7% scored positive on the UCLA loneliness scale (American College Health Association, 2025). A press release from the UK government stated that almost all participating students had felt lonely at least once during their academic year. 52% of the participants also said loneliness was one of their concerns at university, 48% were concerned with “fitting in” (UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2023). In a study done at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS) in Austria 31.7% reported moderate loneliness, while 4.8% were severely lonely. Where most felt socially lonely (29.4%) (Limarutti, Maier & Mir, 2023). 

    These statistics show that loneliness is a concern and problem amongst students, and specifically socially. When starting university, especially when moving cities it can be difficult to integrate and find people who share your interests. Currently there exists apps like Bumble BFF and Hostelworld’s features for meeting people while travelling, whether or not these can help battle the feeling of loneliness would be something to further look into. 

    A problem with such “meeting” apps is related to privacy and safety. Dating apps are a similar way to meet people, however people are concerned whether or not this is a safe way to meet. Pew Research center found that 46% of US adults saw dating apps as “not too safe or not at all safe way to meet people” (Anderson, Vogels & Turner, 2020). Some “meeting” apps have implemented ways of making users feel more secure in meeting through their apps by adding ID verification. Although it can create a sense of safety for others, many seem to be skeptical about giving these app companies their personal information through ID verification (Hendrickson, 2025). There are various other features these apps offer to prevent unsafe situations. The dating app Hinge offers users a way to report users if they experience discomfort or find a fake profile. Finding a balance between safety and privacy is an important goal. 

    Of course there exists ticketing apps that offer tickets to events of all kinds in one, such as Ticketmaster and Eventim. But how well these work and if there is a need for an improvement of these can be looked further into. Although they have no particular target group in itself other than a high focus on concert goers. If there is a need for these features to merge and to target students, could be questioned and researched further through the use of surveys.

    Refrences

    by muhammad.turk -

    The Moon is a Lie: A Case Study in Ontological Deception

    Design & Research | Master Thesis Log 02
    #InteractionDesign #AIPhotography #HumanInTheLoop #ResearchJourney #ComputationalPhotography

    Since its invention, photography has held a unique promise: the promise of truth. Unlike a painting, which is an interpretation, a photograph was historically seen as an “index”—a physical trace left by light hitting a sensor.

    But what happens when the sensor stops recording light and starts predicting it?

    In my previous post, I asked if photography is dead. This week, I conducted a deep dive into the Samsung “Space Zoom” Controversy. This event is not just a consumer tech scandal; for my thesis, it serves as “Ground Zero” for the ontological shift in image-making. It proves we have moved from capturing the world to generating a statistical average of it.

    Part 1: The Experiment

    The controversy erupted when Reddit user u/ibreakphotos designed a clever stress test for Samsung’s “100x Space Zoom.” The user hypothesized that the camera wasn’t actually optically powerful enough to see the moon’s craters.

    The Methodology:

    • They downloaded a high-res image of the moon.
    • They downsized it and blurred it until it was an unrecognizable, glowing white blob.
    • They displayed this blob on a monitor in a dark room.
    • They stood back and photographed the monitor using the Samsung S23 Ultra.

    The hardware limitation: A tiny smartphone sensor cannot defy physics, yet the software claims it can. (Source: reddit)

    The Results:

    The phone produced a sharp, detailed image of the moon, complete with craters and surface textures.

    This was physically impossible. The source image (the blurred blob on the screen) contained zero texture data. The camera had effectively “hallucinated” the craters because its AI recognized the shape of a moon and overlaid a texture map from its internal database.

    Part 2: The Death of Indexicality

    Why does this matter for Interaction Design? Because it breaks the fundamental contract between the user and the tool.

    In media theory, Charles Sanders Peirce defined the photograph as an “Index”—a sign that has a physical connection to its object (like a footprint in the sand). When you look at a traditional photo, you know that the light actually touched the subject.

    The Samsung Moon is no longer an Index. It is a Simulacrum. As the philosopher Jean Baudrillard argued, a simulacrum is a copy without an original. The image on the user’s phone is “hyperreal”—it looks more real than the blurry reality the user actually saw with their eyes, but it has no connection to the physical moment.

    The friction lies here:

    The User thinks: “I captured this.”
    The System knows: “I generated this.”

    This creates a gap in agency. The user believes they are the creator, but they are merely the “prompter.” The camera is no longer a tool for documentation; it is a tool for optimization. It prioritizes a “beautiful lie” over an “ugly truth.”

    My Perspective: The Case for “Honest Interfaces”

    After analyzing this case, I do not believe the solution is to ban AI. Most users do want a clear photo of the moon, even if it is fake. However, from an Interaction Design standpoint, the failure here is not technological—it is ethical.

    The Failure of “Silent Substitution”
    The interface lied. It presented a generated image as a captured one. My take is that we need to redesign the camera interface to be “Honest.”

    My Proposal for Future Research:
    We need a UI that distinguishes between “Documentation Mode” (Optical truth, flaws included) and “Simulation Mode” (AI enhanced).

    If the user knows they are painting with data, the agency is restored. They become a “Director” rather than a duped consumer. The current design trend of hiding these choices behind a single “Shutter Button” is what I call “Agency Laundering”—the machine takes the credit, but lets the user feel like the artist. My thesis aims to challenge this specific pattern.

    Key Questions Arising from this Case:

    1. Transparency: Should AI-enhanced photos carry a visible watermark or metadata tag indicating “Generative Content”?
    2. The “Raw” Mode: Is “Pro Mode” the last bastion of authenticity, or is AI seeping into the raw data as well?
    3. User Consent: Did the user consent to having their blurry moon replaced? Or did the interface assume their intent?

    References (IEEE)

    [1] u/ibreakphotos, “Samsung ‘Space Zoom’ Moon Shots are Fake,” Reddit, 2023.
    [2] J. Vincent, “Samsung’s Moon photos are fake—but so is a lot of mobile photography,” The Verge, 2023.
    [3] J. Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press, 1994.

    AI Declaration: This blog post was drafted with the assistance of an LLM to structure the theoretical analysis. The research selection, case study choice, and final arguments regarding ‘Indexicality’ are my own.

    by dila.bayraktar -

    Why Do Playgrounds Still Look the Same?

    Public playgrounds have existed for little more than a century, yet their physical appearance has changed surprisingly little. Swings, slides, and climbing frames arranged on soft surfaces remain the dominant model in cities around the world. While these spaces are widely accepted as “safe,” they are often criticized for being repetitive, predictable, and limited in terms of creativity. This raises an important question: why do playgrounds still look the same despite decades of research on child development and play?

    One key reason lies in the rise of risk-averse attitudes toward childhood. As Tim Gill explains in No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk-Averse Society, parents and institutions have increasingly prioritized supervision and risk elimination over children’s independent exploration (Gill, 2007). Concerns about injury and liability have led to strict safety standards, which strongly influence playground design. As a result, playgrounds became standardized environments optimized to minimize physical risk rather than to support imagination or curiosity.

    Historically, early playgrounds were often supervised and included equipment that would be considered unacceptable today due to injury risks. However, from the mid-20th century onward, safety regulations and cost considerations encouraged uniform solutions. Impact-absorbing surfaces and fixed equipment became the norm, reinforcing a one-size-fits-all design approach. While research shows that the actual risk of serious injury in playgrounds is extremely low, fear continues to shape design decisions more than evidence does (Gill, 2007).

    Another reason playgrounds remain unchanged is their adult-centered design process. Children are rarely involved in early design stages, and decisions are typically made based on adult assumptions about safety, order, and control. Brown et al. (2021) highlight that many playgrounds are designed to meet regulatory and accessibility requirements but fail to consider how children actually experience play. This often results in environments that are inclusive in theory but limited in playful engagement.

    The persistence of similar playground designs is therefore not due to a lack of alternatives, but to a system shaped by fear, regulation, and adult perspectives. Reimagining playgrounds requires shifting the focus from eliminating risk to designing meaningful play experiences, where creativity, curiosity, and social interaction are valued alongside safety. For designers, this opens an opportunity to rethink playgrounds not as fixed installations, but as dynamic environments that support children’s development in richer and more diverse ways.

    References

    [1] T. Gill, No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk-Averse Society. London, UK: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 2007.

    [2] D. M. Y. Brown et al., “A Scoping Review of Evidence-Informed Recommendations for Designing Inclusive Playgrounds,” Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, vol. 2, 2021.

    [3] Future Foundation, Changing Patterns of Parental Time and Supervision, Report, 2006.

    by julia🐨razumovskaia -

    Temporal Experience in UX: How Interfaces Shape Our Sense of Time 6/10

    #slowness #slowliving #slowinteraction #digitalcalm #calmtechnology

    In UX design, time is almost never neutral.


    Even if an interface is designed to be “fast,” it still actively influences the perception of time: as pressure, flow, anticipation, boredom, or calm. Users don’t perceive milliseconds — they perceive moments. In this sense, every interface is also a temporal system.

    From a technical perspective, time is rather an objective parameter. Loading takes a certain number of seconds, animations have a fixed duration, and interactions can be measured and optimized. From a human perspective, time is definitely subjective and variable. The same interaction can be perceived as rushed or relaxed depending on how it is structured, presented, and built. UX design is not just a process that occurs over time — it creates a sense of time.

    Waiting Is a Designed Experience

    Waiting is often treated as a failure state, something to hide or minimize. Yet waiting is one of the most emotionally charged temporal moments in UX.

    The loading moment may sometimes feel:

    👉 stressful and uncertain;
    👉 neutral and unnoticeable;
    👉 or calm and exciting.

    This depends not so much on duration as on meaning. Progress indicators, language, movement, and visual rhythm all influence whether waiting is perceived as wasted time or purposeful preparation. When waiting is well structured, users tolerate it better—sometimes they hardly notice it.

    “Show people what’s taking so long and they’ll be more satisfied. Sometimes they even *prefer a longer waiting time with information over a bland progress bar that is twice as fast because they know what to expect.” — Sanne Eikelboom [1]

    Micro-Interactions Create Temporal Rhythm

    “Micro-interactions are small but crucial elements that enhance user experience (UX). They offer intuitive cues and turn routine tasks into enjoyable moments. Learn about their significance in modern UX design through examples and best practices. Understand how these subtle interactions contribute to more engaging and intuitive digital environments.”[2]

    [3] Micro-interactions to delight your users: what, when and how.

    Micro-interactions shape our perception of the interface:

    👉reactive or thoughtful;
    👉hasty or deliberate;
    👉demanding or forgiving.

    Temporary perception arises not from a single animation, but from the accumulated rhythm of interaction.

    Compression and fragmentation of time

    Many digital products compress time by eliminating pauses and natural stopping points. Infinite scrolling, autoplay, and algorithmic sequencing contribute to continuous movement.

    “The infinite scroll is just another one of these addictive design features … I often find myself … scrolling through recommended feeds on YouTube and Netflix for minutes on end, only to give up and not watch anything because nothing seems interesting. … You scroll. And scroll and scroll and scroll.” — Grant Collins [4]

    The result is not only faster consumption, but also a disruption of the sense of time:

    👉 users feel constantly active;
    👉 but rarely feel present in the moment;
    👉 and time passes without a clear memory of how it was spent.

    Speed here does not equal efficiency — the opposite, it often leads to fatigue.

    Making Time Visible Again

    Some interfaces take the opposite approach: time is displayed rather than hidden. When users see the duration, progress, or boundaries of a session, they regain awareness and control over the situation.

    “Showing elapsed time … accentuates the passing of each and every second and minute. When we show elapsed time, psychologically it is a bit of torture for the user and it accentuates the passing of each and every second and minute.” — Chris Kiess [5]

    Examples include:

    👉 a clear beginning and end;
    👉 a summary of events or reflections on time;
    👉 explicit pauses instead of endless continuation.

    Visuality transforms time from something fleeting into something users can interact with and control.

    When time becomes visible, interaction shifts from passive consumption to purposeful engagement. Users are no longer absorbed by a continuous default stream—they are given the opportunity to decide whether to continue, pause, or stop. Visibility transforms time from an invisible resource consumed by users into a shared reference point that they can understand and manage.

    Sources 🛈

    [1] Loading UX: Make Users Not Care About Having to Wait. UX Design. Available at: https://uxdesign.cc/loading-ux-make-users-not-care-about-having-to-wait-c3b02a0220b5

    [2] Micro-Interactions in UX. Interaction Design Foundation. Available at: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/micro-interactions-ux

    [3] Micro-interactions to delight your users: what, when and how. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgrkV_hJdJw

    [4] Why the Infinite Scroll Is So Addictive. UX Design (UX Collective). Available at: https://uxdesign.cc/why-the-infinite-scroll-is-so-addictive-9928367019c5

    [5] Expressing Time in UI & UX Design: 5 Rules…and a few other things. Prototypr. Available at: https://blog.prototypr.io/expressing-time-in-ui-ux-design-5-rules-and-a-few-other-things-eda5531a41a7

    by julia🐨razumovskaia -

    Case Study Review: Digital Products That Already Practice Slowness 5/10

    #slowness #slowliving #slowinteraction #digitalcalm #calmtechnology

    In this part of my research, I would like to review apps and digital products that, in my opinion, practice the basic principles I discussed in my previous article, or that align with the ideology of “slowness” and promote it to the masses.
    I have tried all of these apps myself, and I will try to draw objective conclusions and also point out my observations while using the app.

    🌳 Forest: Stay Focused

    The app was created in 2014 in Taiwan by the Seekrtech team. The team was inspired by digital overload and the habit of constantly checking our phones. Unlike strict blockers, including iPhone blockers, Forest offers a beautiful, metaphorical approach to managing our attention, namely through the idea of growing and caring for a tree.[1]

    How does it work ❔

    The user plants a virtual tree, and the tree grows for a set period of time. If you exit the app or use your phone while the tree is growing, it will immediately die. In this way, attention is transformed into a process that requires time, patience, and consistency.
    The interface is minimalistic and visually calm—almost nothing happens during a session in the app, which reduces cognitive load and supports slow and steady concentration.

    Forest makes pausing and waiting a valuable experience rather than an interface flaw. The app demonstrates that slowness can be not an obstacle, but a conscious design tool that supports user attention and well-being.

    🌟🌟Are.na (knowledge & research platform)

    Are.na is an online social networking community and creative research platform founded by Charles Broskoski, Daniel Pianetti, Chris Barley, and Chris Sherron. Are.na was built as a successor to hypertext projects like Ted Nelson’s Xanadu, and as an ad-free alternative to social networks like Facebook, forgoing “likes,” “favorites,” or “shares” in its design. Are.na allows users to compile uploaded and web-clipped “blocks” into different “channels,” and has been described as a “vehicle for conscious Internet browsing,” “playlists, but for ideas,” and a “toolkit for assembling new worlds.[2]

    How the slowness is practised ❔

    ⭐There is no endless feed or algorithmic content delivery.
    ⭐Users curate channels manually, gradually and consciously.
    ⭐There are no likes, ratings, or engagement metrics.

    Why it matters❔:
    The platform encourages slow accumulation and rethinking of information, rather than rapid consumption.

    📖 Readwise Reader (reading & reflection tool)

    Readwise is a digital tool designed to help you retain and organize the most valuable insights from your reading. Readwise leverages powerful techniques like spaced repetition and active recall to supercharge your memory. Through Daily Reviews, Readwise ensures you regularly revisit key insights from your reading material, perfectly timed to enhance retention. This prevents knowledge from slipping away and keeps your memory sharp.[3]

    How does it work ❔[4]

    How the slowness is practised ❔

    Readwise has a very calm, understated interface: there are no notifications, endless feeds, or visual tricks that encourage rapid scrolling. Instead, the app encourages thoughtful, sequential reading. An important feature of Readwise is the ability to return to texts over time: saved fragments and notes periodically reappear, inviting you to reread and rethink them. As a result, reading ceases to be a one-time activity and becomes a longer, slower process of reflection, where understanding and memorization are more important than speed and quantity.

    📩 Slowly (intentional communication app)

    Slowly is created for those who yearn for the meaningful conversations that are lacking in the era of instant messaging. It connects people around the world at a slower but better pace.

    Meet a new pen pal, seal your letter, and stamp it—start connecting with the world on Slowly![5]

    I love this app! I meet the most wonderful people in a longer format, more curious, more meaningful context. I’ve met people who live across the river and across the ocean from me, and we are all so similar. — Paula Anderson [6]

    How does it work ❔

    Unlike instant messengers, messages do not arrive instantly: delivery time depends on the distance between the correspondents and can range from several hours to several days. This deliberate slowdown changes the very attitude towards communication — letters are written thoughtfully, not impulsively, paying attention to wording and meaning rather than speed of response.

    This approach reduces the pressure of constant availability and the expectation of immediate responses. Communication becomes more conscious and emotionally rich, and the pause between messages ceases to be “empty time” and becomes part of the experience. Slowly shows that digital products can support depth and trust not through acceleration, but through rhythm and anticipation.

    🎞️ Letterboxd (platform for mindful viewing and reflection on cinema)

    Letterboxd — is not just a service for marking watched movies, but a space for a slow approach to media. Instead of clip consumption, it encourages users to record their impressions after viewing: users write notes, return to movies, and build their own history of taste over time. There is no pressure to rush — you can’t “scroll through” a movie, and feedback only appears after the experience is complete.[6]

    How the slowness is practised ❔

    ⭐Interaction occurs after watching the film, not during.
    ⭐The emphasis is on reflection and forming an opinion, not on instant reaction.
    ⭐No endless consumption or autoplay.
    ⭐The profile functions as a personal archive of experiences, not as a quick content feed.

    Sources 🛈

    [1] Forest App. Forest: Stay Focused — About the App. Seekrtech Co., Ltd. Available at: https://www.forestapp.cc/

    [2] Are.na. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are.na

    [3] Readwise Docs. What Is Readwise? Readwise Documentation, 2025. Available at: https://docs.readwise.io/readwise/docs

    [4] Readwise. Home Page, Readwise, 2025. Available at: https://readwise.io/

    [5] Slowly. Home Page, Slowly, 2025. Available at: https://slowly.app/

    [6] Letterboxd. Home Page, Letterboxd, 2025. Available at: https://letterboxd.com/

    by jessica.schiller -

    How do Ubiquitous Computing and Calm Technology relate to the field of User Experience Design?

    In my last blog post, I introduced the idea of calm technology. But what actually makes a technology feel calm? In their 1996 paper, Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown suggest that technology becomes calming when it:

    1. Places information in the periphery, letting us stay aware without being overloaded.
    2. Allows smooth movement from the periphery to the center of attention, giving us control when action or response is needed.

    This balance increases awareness while keeping users in control, rather than dominating their attention. Designing for the periphery is therefore a key part of creating calm technology that genuinely supports people.

    Weiser and Brown define calm technology through three characteristics:

    1. Smooth transitions between the center of attention and the periphery
    2. Expansion or Enhancement of peripheral perception and awareness
    3. “Locatedness”, which creates calm by fostering a connection to the environment enabling to act confidently within it

    Technology feels calm when it works with, rather than against, the way human attention naturally functions. It empowers our periphery by quietly supporting awareness, giving more context and control without demanding attention. This creates a feeling of comfort, familiarity, and “being at home” in our environment. Technology achieves this calmness when it blends seamlessly into its surroundings and aligns with our expectations, allowing attention to flow uninterrupted. Just as grammar mistakes pull us out of a text or a rearranged kitchen disrupts the act of cooking, intrusive or poorly aligned technology breaks our focus. When technology preserves our flow of attention, it naturally feels calm.

    How is Calm Technology connected to Ubiquitous Computing?

    Both concepts are firstly introduced by Mark Weiser (and John Seely Brown). The early research on Ubiquitous computing inevitably led to the concept of calm technology. So both concepts are closely intertwined. Let me explain why:

    Ubiquitous computing enables and requires calm technology at the same time. Once computers are everywhere, it will be crucial to consciously design interactions to ensure they do not overwhelm users. Calm technology is the design philosophy that ensures ubiquitous computing remains unobtrusive and supportive. At the same time, the fact that interactions with digital information can now take place anywhere creates an opportunity to design them in a more supportive way.

    This means that ubiquitous computing is the technological vision, and calm technology is the human-centered design principle that guides how that vision should interact with people. They are intertwined because one sets the stage, and the other ensures it’s usable and fits with human needs.

    How do Ubiquitous Computing and Calm Technology relate to Today’s field of User Experience Design?

    Human Computer Interaction has evolved alongside the evolution of computing, which can be summarized in three stages. In the mainframe stage, computers were rare, expensive, and shared by multiple users. Interaction during this stage was driven primarily by technological possibilities rather than human capabilities. As computers became more accessible, the personal computing stage emerged, establishing one-to-one relationships between individuals and their machines. This shift brought technology closer to people and made user experience a central concern, moving the focus of interaction from the technology itself to the user.

    In the following ubiquitous computing stage, people interact with numerous embedded computers throughout their daily lives, making calm technology not just desirable but necessary. The Internet has accelerated this evolution, raising questions about how pervasive technology may impact our environment and everyday experiences. In the state we are currently in, technology constantly competes for our attention. New technology is developed in a high speed and to keep up the pace user-tests are often skipped, resulting in bad user experience and usability (Monse-Maell, 2018). In response, many contemporary design trends have emerged, all based on the same underlying concept: Calm Technology. Within the design field, this idea is commonly framed in terms of attention and presence (Calm UX, Quiet UX, Mindful UX), simplicity and reduction (Minimalist UX, Effortless UX, Invisible Design), spatial and peripheral interaction (Ambient UX, Peripheral Interaction), and human well-being and pace (Well-being UX, Slow Technology).

    Sure you already heard of some of those terms and are familiar with the ideas behind it. They all come down to the same main idea. They take the philosophy of Calm Technology and translate them into concrete design practices. Calm Technology gives designers a philosophical and ethical grounding. The specification into one of those terms usually provides concrete methodologies, patterns, use cases and heuristics. That’s why it makes sense to engage with these fundamental ideas, as they form the basis for current design trends and shape much of today’s interaction design thinking.

    Now that we’ve covered these fundamentals, I want to take a closer look at human–computer interaction and what types of interactions we can use to achieve calmer, more effortless technologies. In the next blog entry, I’ll explore how we intuitively understand how to use objects, how information is perceived in our periphery, and what this means for designing interfaces.

    References:

    AI Assistance Disclaimer:

    AI tools were used to improve grammar and phrasing. The ideas, examples, and content remain entirely the author’s own.