by Selina Allerstorfer -

#2.03 Theoretical Frameworks

In this blogpost I want to explore the ideas, theories and frameworks which shape the concept behind my prototype. I am diving into psychology behind focused work, the design of calm interfaces, and how we might nudge behavior without enforcing strict rules.

The Flow State – The foundation of deep creative work

One of the central concepts driving this project is Flow, a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who describes it as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter” [1] It’s the sweet spot where challenge meets skill, and our attention becomes fully aligned with the task at hand.

Csikszentmihalyi outlines eight components that typically make up these experiences:

  1. The task is something we believe we can complete
  2. We can fully concentrate on the task
  3. The task has a clear goal
  4. It provides immediate feedback
  5. There is a deep, but effortless involvement that blocks everyday worries and frustrations
  6. We feel in control of our actions
  7. Self-consciousness disappears, but paradoxically we feel more ourselves afterward
  8. Our sense of time shifts: hours feel like minutes and the other way round [2]

The interplay of these elements creates a type of enjoyment so fulfilling that people are willing to invest significant effort just to experience it. [2] However, the modern digital environment, especially smartphones, disrupt the conditions needed for flow. Every notification, every swipe, every quick scroll breaks our attention and concentration and makes it harder to return to a state of deep immersion. In his book, Csikszentmihalyi writes: “[…] attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience.” [3]

This project is about protecting that attention, not by eliminating distractions entirely (which isn’t realistic), but about creating the right conditions for focus and flow to happen more easily.

Calm Technology – Supporting, Not Distracting

Another concept that influences the project is Calm Technology, which was introduced by Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown (1995) in their paper “Designing Calm Technology”.

It is a design philosophy focused on integrating technology more seamlessly into daily life by using peripheral awareness rather than demanding our full attention all the time.

Today, most digital tools overwhelm us by constantly competing for our focus and attention, creating a sense of stress and distraction. Calm Technology on the other hand is about designing for both our center and periphery of attention, allowing us to shift our focus naturally when needed.

The periphery are things we are aware of without actively focusing on them. For example, when driving, we might not actively think about the engine sound, but we notice if it suddenly changes. Calm technology uses this same principle: subtle, non-intrusive cues that live in the background and only surface when needed. This allows us to stay aware without feeling overwhelmed.

Eventually, they argue that designing for calmness is essential in a world of constant digital noise and distraction. It’s not about removing information but about designing it to fit better with how people naturally divide their attention. [4]

Persuasive Design – Nudging, Not Controlling

My approach is informed by persuasive design, which incorporates principles from psychology, like motivations and cognitive biases, and turns them into practical strategies for designing products.

“Persuasive design can help:

  • Users in decision making
  • Designers communicate more clearly
  • Nudge users in the right direction
  • Help users to develop skills
  • Drive users end or begin new habits” [5]

A key framework here is BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model (FBM) that helps designers and researchers understand how to change human behavior through technology. He sees three factors that need to be there at the same time for the behavior to happen:

Motivation + Ability + Triggers = Behavior

Fogg points out that the goal of persuasive design is not to manipulate or shame users into behaving a certain way. Instead, it’s about gently guiding behavior, ideally in line with what the user already wants to do, like staying focused or being more intentional with their time. [6]

Literature

[1] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harpercollins, 1990), 4.

[2] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harpercollins, 1990), 49.

[3] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harpercollins, 1990), 33.

[4] Mark Weiser, John Seely Brown und Xerox PARC, „Designing Calm technology“, 21. Dezember 1995, https://people.csail.mit.edu/rudolph/Teaching/weiser.pdf.

[5] Eddie Kim, “Persuasive Design: Nudging Users in the Right Direction,” Medium, December 6, 2021, https://uxdesign.cc/persuasive-design-nudging-users-in-the-right-direction-5af4a6f8c06f.

[6] B. J. Fogg, “A Behavior Model for Persuasive Design,” in Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, (April 2009): 1–7.

by Selina Allerstorfer -

#2.02 Designing for Focus in an Age of Distraction

When I sit down to do work, I often only find myself deep in a rabbit hole of Reels or TikToks or reorganizing my phone, only after 30 minutes into the task. And to be honest even while working on this blog post I got distracted several times by my phone. This is why I decided to explore the topic of distraction in a digital life but I think it is also broadly relevant, since I feel like a lot of people struggle with getting distracted easily these days.

Are we living in an attention crisis?

There is a rising discourse around attention crisis, brain rot and digital burnout, since our days are increasingly fragmented by notifications, being constantly online and temptation of endless scrolls. In his book Stolen Focus, Johann Hari, talks about the effects of this crisis such as reduced productivity, heightened stress levels and even a weakening of our capacity to build deep and meaningful relationships. [1] A study from Microsoft says that our attention span shrank from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds nowadays, leading to humans having a shorter attention span than a goldfish. [2]

On average, people spend 4.5 hours a day on their phones [3], with 2.5 of those hours dedicated to social media. [4] Big tech companies like Meta and Google generate revenue by maximizing user engagement, turning out attention into a profitable business model. As a result, we get bombarded with dopamine-driven feedback loops that make it extremely hard to put the phone away to concentrate on a single task. [5]

Spending so much time on social media and doom scrolling for hours also affects people. In October 2024 “Brain Rot” was chosen for the Oxford Word of the Year. Brain Rot refers to the cognitive decline and mental exhaustion experienced by individuals, particularly adolescents and young adults, due to excessive exposure to low-quality online materials, especially on social media.“ [6]

Brain rot is an emerging concern among adolescents and young adults navigating today’s tech-saturated word. Marked by symptoms such as brain fog and reduced concentration, this condition seems to worsen with excessive screen time and constant exposure to trivial online content, ultimately contributing to a decline in cognitive function. [6]

Creative professionals like designers, writers, artists, musicians need uninterrupted time to enter a state of flow, where ideas can surface and evolve without constant context-switching. But even with productivity tools, focus apps, and “Do Not Disturb” settings, our smartphones still act like behavioral magnets. They promise us connection, innovation, and escape and they’re designed to be hard to ignore. Notifications, dopamine loops, and habit-forming UX patterns pull us away from the present moment, often without us realizing it.

So, the central question guiding my prototype this semester is:
How might a tangible interface reduce smartphone-related distractions for creative professionals?

The Concept: A Lamp That Helps You Focus

Rather than building yet another app to solve the problem, I want to explore a physical, ambient object that supports intention and presence in a gentle, non-coercive way. My prototype will be a lamp/phone dock – a small, aesthetically calming object that lives on your desk and invites you to temporarily “put the phone away” without demanding rigid rules or screen-time shaming.

The lamp will produce a gentle, ambient light when the phone is in the dock; it may change color gradually to show how much time was spent in focused mode. The lamp may respond softly by changing its color temperature, dimming slightly, or providing a quite auditory cue if the phone is taken out too often. These feedback loops are intended to raise awareness, encourage behavior, and support the user’s initial goal of remaining focused on their job rather than to punish.

Why a Tangible Interface?

I’m interested in how tangible interaction, physically placing the phone somewhere, seeing a change in your environment, can help ritualize focus in a way that’s more embodied and emotionally resonant than tapping a digital button.

What’s next?

In my next blogpost I want to look at some theories and frameworks such as:

  • Theory of Flow
  • Calm Technology
  • Persuasive Design

After getting into those theories and frameworks I am going to start with the first simple prototype.

My goal isn’t to eliminate distractions entirely, that’s unrealistic and probably undesirable. Instead, I’m curious about how design can create moments of pause. How can we introduce friction in a respectful, aesthetic, and emotionally intelligent way? How might we design tools that gently invite reflection, rather than enforce rules?

Literature

[1] Johann Hari, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again (New York: Crown Publishing, 2022)

[2] Microsoft Canada Consumer Insights Team. Attention Spans: Consumer Insights. Spring 2015. Toronto: Microsoft Canada.

[3] Fabio Duarte, “Time Spent Using Smartphones (2025 Statistics),” Exploding Topics (blog), June 5, 2025, https://explodingtopics.com/blog/smartphone-usage-stats.

[4] Josh Howarth, “Worldwide Daily Social Media Usage (New 2025 Data),” Exploding Topics (blog), June 5, 2025, https://explodingtopics.com/blog/social-media-usage.

[5] Shehzad Batliwala Do Mgm, “The Attention Crisis: A Visionary’s Perspective on the Stolen Focus Epidemic,” Medium, September 10, 2023, https://medium.com/@visionarydoc/the-attention-crisis-a-visionarys-perspective-on-the-stolen-focus-epidemic-eff6692abbf9.

[6] Ahmed Mohamed Fahmy Yousef et al., “Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review,” Brain Sciences 15, no. 3 (March 7, 2025): 283, https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030283.