How to Design for Low Attention Spans

Let’s be honest, attention spans right now are very low because short video content has made the entire industry more focused on information delivered in the fastest way possible. 

So, instead of reading all the content of a page, users are more tempted to jump from one page to another, and shortly after, they decide to leave because they can’t find the info they need fast enough. 

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Due to the evolution of the UI/UX design industry and technology overall, the user’s attention is now the most valuable resource a website can have. But how can we design our websites to make users as interested as possible without making them feel overwhelmed? 

When designing a new interface, the first thing designers want is to make users concentrate more on something, but this is not always the key to a great attention span. To increase the attention of users, the most important thing is to make the interface easier to understand at first glance. 

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If a design needs a second glance to understand something, you automatically lose a lot of users. 

A short attention span in UX design doesn’t really mean that users can’t focus on something they really need, but it is more about the fact that they don’t have the time to spend to understand an interface. Especially when they are searching for something they need in that moment, it is hard to make them stop and read for a long time until they find that piece of info they are looking for. 

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Instead of reading a website, users tend to scan the entire page and switch between pages if they need to. Eventually, this back-and-forth effort makes them lose patience and leave. 

But don’t get this wrong: a great website designed for a low attention span shouldn’t be all about flashy elements and shorter sentences, because the ideal website should have accessible and clear info organized with a specific purpose. 

It’s important to start with a strong hierarchy so it’s easier for users to scan the page when they land on it. Hierarchy is not just a concept that can be ignored, because it helps them understand what deserves their attention first. Try to create headings and subheadings that are clear, with different font sizes. 

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Most importantly, don’t forget about whitespace, because it can make a huge difference in the navigation experience. 

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More so, every screen should have a clear primary action instead of making users decide where to look next. Here is the best example: instead of creating a large block of text about a product, it’s easier to structure the details focused on specific characteristics of the product, such as why it matters, how it can benefit users, and so on. 

A fact we know for sure is that the more effort users need to put into understanding your interface, the easier it will be for them to lose focus. As stated above, it’s important to remove the unnecessary steps to making a decision, because a task doesn’t need to be more complicated just for aesthetics. 

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To reduce the cognitive load, it’s important to avoid presenting too many choices at once, and more importantly, to split those complex processes into smaller steps. 

But remember that a simple interface is not created by removing all the useful info from a website; it focuses more on removing those elements that don’t really help users understand and make a decision. 

When trying to design with the clear purpose of catching users' attention, it might have the opposite outcome due to the constant notifications and flashy animations integrated. So instead of making the interface engaging, it ends up being overwhelming for users. 

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Yes, the notifications and animations are a good thing to have, but not every element on a screen needs to be the center of attention, because it is important to the overall design instead of making every element important. 

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Good UX should guide users toward the information or action that matters most instead of constantly demanding their attention.

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Remember that your website does not compete with social media profiles, even though users scroll through on both. Compared to social media, where almost every post is created to grab users’ attention, a website should be designed to respect the attention users are already willing to give to your website.

Clear visual hierarchy, lower cognitive load, scannable content, responsive interactions, and fewer distractions can make an interface easier to navigate and understand.

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Don’t forget maybe the most important thing: users will always need to have a clear path in their user experience, because this way, they will not miss any important information about your product or service while they are browsing. 

uinkits – Our Figma Design System and UI Kits

We at uinkits understand the importance of great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.

“You press the button, we do the rest.” – Kodak.

Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.

Our design system includes UI components, icons, variables, cards, buttons and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!

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