Selective Attention describes the ability of the human brain to focus on specific stimuli while ignoring other information. Since we are constantly confronted with a flood of sensory input, our brain filters out irrelevant information. This way, it protects us from information overload and enables focused perception. However, it can also cause us to overlook important information.

A well-known experiment on Selective Attention is the Gorilla Experiment by Simons & Chabris (1999), in which a person in a gorilla costume walked through a basketball game. About half of the spectators did not perceive the gorilla. Why was that? The selective attention of the audience was focused on something else at that moment. People overlook even the most striking things when their attention is strongly directed to a specific task.

Autistic people often perceive more details at the same time than neurotypical people and have difficulty ignoring irrelevant stimuli; their Selective Attention is often limited.

Origin

  • Broadbent, D. (1958). Perception and Communication. Pergamon Press.
  • Simons, D. J., & Chabris, C. F. (1999). Gorillas in our midst: Sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events. Perception, 28(9), 1059–1074.

Application in UX and UI design

One example of the phenomenon of Selective Attention is the so-called «Banner Blindness». In this form of Selective Attention, website visitors ignore all banner-like content. When banner ads annoy us or seem irrelevant, our cognitive processing has learned what banners typically look like and where they are placed, so our subconscious is able to block them out for us.

Therefore, important content should not imitate the appearance of banners. It is also advisable to visually separate relevant information and advertising to ensure that important content is not overlooked.

Strategies for using selective attention in UX/UI design:

  • Optimize visual hierarchy: Larger, more contrasting or prominently placed elements can be used to guide attention in a targeted manner.
  • Reduce distractions: Too much competing information on a page causes users to lose focus. A minimalist design improves the perception of relevant content.
  • Highlighting through movement or color: Animations or color contrasts can help bring certain UI elements (e.g. call-to-action buttons) to the fore.
  • Use progressive disclosure: Instead of presenting all information at once, content should be revealed in stages depending on user interaction, to avoid information overload.

Impact on the User Experience

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Further information