Designing for the Distracted

What education can teach us about capturing attention in a noisy world.

The Attention Economy Starts Early

It hit me during breakfast with my toddler.

In the space of three minutes, she asked for toast, sang half a song, spotted the garbage truck outside, spilled water, and was halfway under the table chasing a texta. Her brain was firing on all cylinders; curious, engaged, easily distracted. But only when something grabbed her attention.

She reminded me of something crucial. Attention isn’t something we automatically get, it’s something we have to earn.

And that’s not just true of toddlers. Whether you're leading a team, presenting to a client, or writing course content, you're up against that same mental chaos. Competing with inboxes, notifications, deadlines, and daydreams.

In education, we’ve spent decades designing learning that works with attention, not against it. That has lessons for anyone trying to communicate clearly in a noisy world.

What Educators Know About Attention

Educators have always understood that attention is finite, but the pandemic made that reality impossible to miss. Today, multiple studies show that our cognitive “fuel tank” empties faster online. Human-computer-interaction research tracking more than 20 years of screen use finds the average person now stays on a single screen for just 47 seconds before switching tasks —down from 2.5 minutes in 2004 (Steelcase, 2024)

Lecturers are seeing the same pattern: a University of Melbourne review of pandemic teaching found that 59 percent of staff believed student engagement worsened online and that they had to “work tremendously hard to keep them focused” (Centre for the Study of Higher Education, 2023).

Fatigue plays a role, too. Recent validation of the Student Mental Fatigue Survey linked information-overloaded course design to measurable drops in sustained attention and motivation (Bayne et al, 2022)

In short, attention needs have changed and the tricks that worked pre-COVID don’t always work now.

So, educators are designing for attention, not assuming it. They:

• They chunk information into smaller parts that respect cognitive load

• They lead with relevance, showing learners why it matters

• They create interactivity, even in passive formats

• They use visual hierarchy to make it easier to navigate and prioritise content

These same strategies lift engagement in meetings, marketing, onboarding; any context where holding attention is no longer a given but a design choice.

These strategies work not just in the classroom, but in meetings, communications, marketing, and onboarding. Whether you’re teaching or leading, holding attention is no longer a given, it’s a design choice.

Chunking: Less at Once, More Over Time

Chunking is the practice of breaking information into smaller, manageable sections to make it easier to process. Our brains aren’t built to absorb long, uninterrupted streams of content. That’s why a well-paced Netflix series is more engaging than a single three-hour lecture.

Educators use chunking to reduce cognitive load and support retention. The same principle applies in leadership and business communication. Don’t deliver the whole strategy in one sitting. Break it into focus areas. Don’t send a 10-page email. Send three short ones with purpose.

Whether it's onboarding, marketing, or internal comms, people need time and space to absorb what matters. If you want attention, don’t overwhelm it. Respect it.

Relevance: Why Should I Care?

Adults are motivated to learn when they see the value. That’s the foundation of adult learning theory, and it holds true well beyond the classroom.

Educators know that relevance drives engagement. They don’t just teach a concept. They show why it matters, how it applies, and when to use it. Learners lean in when content connects with something they care about.

In business, the same rule applies. If you want people to pay attention, don’t start with your goal. Start with theirs. Make it meaningful to the audience before it becomes important to you.

Whether you're writing a training module or presenting to stakeholders, always answer the silent question: "Why should I care?" If you can’t answer it, they won’t either.

Interactivity: Invite Engagement, Don’t Just Present

People learn more when they do something with what they hear. That’s why passive learning rarely sticks. Interactivity helps the brain stay focused and makes content more memorable.

Educators use questions, polls, decision points, and even short pauses to spark thinking and invite action. These moments don't just check understanding—they create it.

You don’t need high-end tech to apply this. In a meeting, ask for input early. In a presentation, pose a question before revealing your point. In marketing, invite a response instead of pushing information.

The key is to shift people from passive observers to active participants. That’s where learning—and buy-in—really starts.

Visual Hierarchy: Make the Message Easy to See

Good design helps people see what matters. Visual hierarchy is about using layout, formatting, and structure to guide the eye and reduce cognitive effort.

In education, this might mean bold headings, clean spacing, or key concepts pulled into side notes. These visual cues direct focus and improve recall.

In business, the same principles apply. Whether you’re building a slide deck, a dashboard, or a newsletter, clarity beats decoration. Use bold for emphasis, whitespace for breathing room, and structure to create flow.

Design isn’t about making things pretty. It’s about making them obvious. If everything looks the same, nothing stands out—and nothing sticks.

Bringing It All Together: Designing for Humans

Attention isn’t something people give freely. It’s something we design for.

Instructional designers work with this reality every day. They don’t assume learners are focused or ready—they build experiences that earn and maintain that focus. They respect time, minimise noise, and make meaning obvious.

That same mindset belongs in leadership, marketing, onboarding, and any other setting where clear communication matters. Because the goal isn’t just to deliver information. The goal is for people to take it in, hold onto it, and act on it.

If you want to cut through the noise, start designing like a learning professional. Design for how people really think, not how you wish they would.

Practical Takeaways: Apply Learning Design Thinking to Everyday Communication

• Break content into chunks and time it intentionally

• Lead with relevance and audience value

• Use interactivity to maintain engagement

• Design with the eye and brain in mind

• Test for clarity, not just accuracy