Abstract
This paper explores the concept of hyperdistraction, a cognitive state where a person constantly changes focus from one digital task to another and has a consistently low tolerance to boredom. The paper presents several studies that show that hyperdistraction is prevalent among younger generations, resulting in increased anxiety, poor mental health, and academic decline. Next, we highlight the challenges that design educators face to help students learn how to design in the face of a constant stream of information arriving at a rate the brain cannot process. We argue that managing attention is crucial for creative disciplines like design, which require a sophisticated balance of mind-wandering and concentrated focus at different moments of the creative process. The paper proposes that the design studio offers a blueprint for a humanistic way of learning. Design educators can help students learn how to manage their attention by encouraging reflective practice, even in the face of relentless digital distractions. The paper concludes by arguing that to nurture future designers and tackle the pressing problems of our time, the design community must challenge the culture of hyperdistraction and recover a sense of time that recognises the limitations and abilities of the human mind
Keywords
Hyperdistraction, Design Education, Design Studio, Reflective Practice
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.247
Citation
Ferreira, J.(2023) The challenge of hyperdistraction for Design Education, in De Sainz Molestina, D., Galluzzo, L., Rizzo, F., Spallazzo, D. (eds.), IASDR 2023: Life-Changing Design, 9-13 October, Milan, Italy. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2023.247
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
fullpapers
Included in
The challenge of hyperdistraction for Design Education
This paper explores the concept of hyperdistraction, a cognitive state where a person constantly changes focus from one digital task to another and has a consistently low tolerance to boredom. The paper presents several studies that show that hyperdistraction is prevalent among younger generations, resulting in increased anxiety, poor mental health, and academic decline. Next, we highlight the challenges that design educators face to help students learn how to design in the face of a constant stream of information arriving at a rate the brain cannot process. We argue that managing attention is crucial for creative disciplines like design, which require a sophisticated balance of mind-wandering and concentrated focus at different moments of the creative process. The paper proposes that the design studio offers a blueprint for a humanistic way of learning. Design educators can help students learn how to manage their attention by encouraging reflective practice, even in the face of relentless digital distractions. The paper concludes by arguing that to nurture future designers and tackle the pressing problems of our time, the design community must challenge the culture of hyperdistraction and recover a sense of time that recognises the limitations and abilities of the human mind