In this article, we explained interruptions, the psychology, the strategies, the examples, interruption recovery, why designing for interruptions
Definition
Interrupting as the act of cutting off somebody else’s speech, typically so that we can speak instead A full interruption effectively ends the turn of the other speaker, hindering them from continuing to speak or stopping their speech entirely.
Designing for interruptions is the practice of building systems and interfaces that anticipate, accommodate, and recover from these moments gracefully. It’s a critical consideration for modern UX/UI design, particularly for mobile apps, web platforms, wearable devices, and embedded systems.
The Psychology of Interruptions:
Reasons people interrupt:
Anxiety and Impatience:
A person might interrupt to prevent themselves from forgetting a thought or due to heightened anxiety about silence or their turn to speak.
Desire for Control:
Interrupting can be a power play to dominate a conversation or to assert influence over the discussion.
Excitement and Engagement:
People may interrupt to show they are following along, to add to a thought, or express enthusiasm for the topic.
Fast Processing:
Individuals who process information quickly may interrupt because their brains make connections faster, causing them to jump ahead in a conversation.
Lack of Conversational Skills:
Some people are simply unaware of conversational etiquette or haven’t learned how to listen effectively.
Neurodivergence:
Certain conditions, such as ADHD, are linked to increased impulsivity, which can lead to more frequent interruptions.
How interruptions affect the person being interrupted:
Negative Emotions:
Being interrupted can evoke feelings of frustration, anger, irritation, and being disrespected or dismissed.
Perceived Power Shift:
The person interrupted may feel a loss of status and power, as if their input is unimportant.
Focus Disruption:
Interruptions can divert attention, reduce control over the conversation, and negatively impact work performance.
Understanding the context is key:
Consider the Interrupter:
Determine if the interruption comes from a place of anxiety, dominance, or genuine engagement.
Analyze the Situation:
Consider the cultural context, the specific relationship, and the topic of the conversation.
Intent vs. Impact:
Remember that while interruptions can have a negative impact, the interrupter’s intent might not always be malicious.
Strategies for Managing Interruptions
Schedule your focus time:
Block out specific times in your calendar for uninterrupted work on important tasks.
Use visual cues:
Wear headphones or display a “do not disturb” sign to signal that you are focused and cannot be interrupted.
Set clear boundaries:
Let others know when you are available for questions and when you are unavailable.
Prioritize tasks:
Use a system to rank tasks by urgency and importance, so you can stay focused on your most critical work.
Create “office hours”:
Designate a specific time for colleagues to approach you with requests or questions, rather than allowing constant pop-ins.
Turn off notifications:
Silence desktop and mobile alerts for emails, chat, and social media to reduce distractions.
Delegate tasks:
Pass on tasks that don’t require your specific expertise to free up your time for high-priority work.
Communicate effectively:
Inform your team of your focus goals for the day or your blocked-out “no interruption” periods.
Take regular breaks:
Stepping away from your work can help you regain focus and avoid burnout.
Manage calls and emails:
Let unscheduled calls go to voicemail and schedule specific times to check and respond to non-urgent emails.
Create a focused environment:
Work in an environment that supports concentration, such as a quiet space or using noise-canceling headphones.
Examples of interruptions in various contexts
Workplace interruptions
A coworker stopping by for a casual chat.
Email and instant message notifications.
Phone calls.
Unexpected meetings or requests.
Noise or disruptions from colleagues.
Technical and environmental interruptions
A power outage or interruption in service.
Loud noises that break concentration.
Uncomfortable work environment factors like poor lighting or temperature.
Personal and conversational interruptions
Being spoken to or having a conversation broken into.
A sudden event, like a plane crash, interrupting a plan.
External factors, such as rain during an outdoor game.
Business and operational interruptions
A disruption to a company’s normal operations.
Interruptions to a supply chain.
A service or system being temporarily stopped.
Design Patterns for Interruption Recovery:
These patterns are for handling errors and failures within an application or service.
Retry Pattern:
When an operation fails, it is retried a configurable number of times. This is effective for transient errors like temporary network issues or slow service responses.
Fallback Pattern:
Instead of failing completely when a request to another service fails, a fallback mechanism provides a default or alternative response, allowing the system to continue execution.
Timeout Pattern:
This pattern prevents a system from waiting indefinitely for a response by setting a time limit for requests. Requests that exceed this timeout are treated as failures.
Circuit Breaker Pattern:
This pattern prevents a system from repeatedly sending requests to a failing service. Once a certain number of failures occur, the circuit “opens,” and subsequent requests are immediately routed to a fallback or rejected, preventing further strain on the failing service. After a period, the circuit can be “reset” to allow new attempts to see if the service has recovered.
Saga Pattern:
Used in event-driven architectures, a Saga is a sequence of local transactions where each transaction updates data within a single service. If a transaction fails, the saga executes compensating transactions to undo the work of the prior successful transactions, ensuring data consistency and graceful recovery.
Disaster Recovery Patterns for Infrastructure
These patterns focus on maintaining availability and providing continuity in the event of a major disruption or disaster.
Backup and Restore:
This is a fundamental strategy where data and systems are periodically backed up and can be redeployed from these backups in the event of a failure.
Failover Pattern:
This involves deploying redundant systems or components. If a primary system fails, the workload is automatically redirected (fails over) to a secondary or standby system.
Multi-AZ Strategy:
In cloud environments, this involves deploying applications and data across multiple Availability Zones (AZs), which are distinct, isolated locations within a geographic region. This protects against failures that might affect a single data center or area.
Why Designing for Interruptions:
Improved Productivity:
By anticipating and managing interruptions, designers can help users maintain focus on their core tasks, stay in a state of “flow,” and achieve higher levels of productivity.
Reduced Stress and Frustration:
Uncontrolled or irritating interruptions can lead to stress and frustration. Designing for them can provide a sense of control and a structured experience, which reduces these negative effects.
Enhanced Creativity:
Brief interruptions can act as moments of “incubation,” allowing the mind to reset and fostering creativity and new problem-solving strategies.
Better User Experience:
By allowing personalization of notification types and timing, and by adapting to user behavior, a system can deliver interruptions that are considerate, relevant, and ultimately enhance the overall user experience.
Increased Awareness and Social Connections:
In collaborative settings, well-designed interruptions can facilitate social connections and keep team members informed and aware of ongoing activities, which can be beneficial for the entire team.
Conclusion
Designing for interruptions is to create considerate and context-aware systems that balance user needs for productivity with the potential benefits of interruptions, by allowing users to control their attention and by designing for less cognitively taxing interruptions.
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