Designing for Less Distractions

In his talk about time and spending it well, Tristan Harris explains how better technology design could prevent people from getting so distracted.

Rather than having to choose between being online or offline, distracted with interruptions or afraid of missing something important, the speaker advocates for new options and deeper human goals. For example, instead of the objective of chat being the easiest way to send a message, it could be to create the best communication in a relationship.

The talk about time states the need for a new system to measure successful time spent -- "net new positive contributions to human life." To put this into practice, companies can prioritize a new metric, designers can redefine success and users can demand ethical technology and technology that gives back their choice of how to use it. The speaker points out McDonalds didn't offer salads until there was customer demand. He calls for a world shift from time spent to time well spent.