Design in Relation to Attentional Energy

for Retail News Magazine 4/2022

Our Energy Goes Where Our Attention Goes—A Mental Pipeline That Channels Energy Outward, and When Aligned, Back to Us.

“The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.”— William James

Our Attention Is Selective

We are surrounded by countless stimuli. To prevent our mental space from being overloaded, our mind allows us to focus only on specific inputs.

What those inputs are depends on:

• Our individual mindset,

• Interests,

• Experiences, and

• Our current situation.

What we let into our consciousness is only a tiny fraction of what we are capable of perceiving.

Fast and Slow Thinking

In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman describes two modes of thought:

• Slow thinking: Logical, analytical, deliberate.

• Fast thinking: Emotional, instinctive, immediate.

In practice:

• Fast thinking is triggered by packaging, marketing visuals, or shelf appeal—used for everyday product choices.

• Slow thinking is used for complex decisions (e.g., buying a car or house) that require comparison and evaluation.

Marketing strategies often target the fast mode to capture attention and create desire quickly.

Information Flow

Clarity of information depends not only on what is said, but how it’s presented.

For instance, if a message is in poorly legible font, the reader may:

• View the content as difficult or confusing,

• Spend energy just decoding the text,

• And give up before fully understanding the message.

Presentation affects mental effort. Well-designed visuals help the brain focus on comprehension, not deciphering.

Salience of Information

The salience (prominence) of a message is critical.It determines what gets mirrored in the mind.

Key points should be:

• Clearly distinguished from supporting details,

• Presented with highlighting or visual emphasis.

This supports a clear and energy-efficient presentation by reducing mental fatigue and enhancing focus on priority information.

Information Density

One theory states:

The most efficient way to use mental energy is through low surface complexity, high information content.

For complex presentations:

• Choose about ten key messages,

• Deliver them via stories or relatable anecdotes.

This strategy:

• Connects concepts emotionally,

• Sparks curiosity,

• Forms a “bridge” to more detailed content.

The result is deeper memory retention and better engagement.

Presentation Energy

To make a presentation successful, we must:

• Use the audience’s energy wisely,

• Select content that warrants their mental investment,

• Know what needs explanation and what will be understood naturally.

Key tactics include:

• Choosing the right medium,

• Highlighting essential points,

• Selecting the ideal level of detail.

This helps create a smooth information flow while economizing energy.

On average, we have 7–10 minutes (max 20) to use both the speaker’s and listener’s mental energy effectively.