Context is critical. As noted in previous attention research and a forthcoming book: How Attention Works: Finding Your Way in a World Full of Distraction (The MIT Press) March 2019 “we gather only relevant information. We focus on one snippet of information and assume that everything else is stable and consistent with past experience.” Our perceptual process attempts to focus on the most salient data or pixel set (e.g., bold type, color, relative position) to reduce IO. As van der Stigchel’s quote above suggests, we can be mislead by ignoring related contextual attributes. Thus, we need to ask ourselves if the perceptual input is complete and consistent with our task objective. Critical thinking skills can help. Don’t be an IO victim. #EndInfoOverload

Previously, I cited three types of our working memory: intrinsic, extraneous and germane (https://www.ispringsolutions.com/blog/cognitive-overload-and-e-learning ). Our IO challenge is to offer valuable content for intrinsic memory with navigation helpers (germane memory) while eliminating noise in extraneous memory. Our tendency is to squeeze into a single dashboard all the useful content for “one stop shopping.” Stephen Few offers a concise set of dashboard development guidelines: http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/visual_business_intelligence/data_visualization_effectiveness_profile.pdf  Thinking beyond Few’s recommendations, today’s application development tools offer an opportunity for dashboard consumers to provide online development guidance for each of their requested dashboards, e.g., data items, types of visualizations, and navigation/selection helpers (such as a small clickable (i) above a data item or header to explain what are the choices for viewing and what other dashboard elements will change concurrently–region or time period). Certainly, dashboard consumers will learn how to custom change the displayed dashboard content (if previously defined as a requested need). Yet is “trial and error” experimentation the best approach for learning? Isn’t the consumer’s “time to insight” an important dashboard design criterion? We already know that IO can lead to lower productivity and greater stress. Should dashboard developers complete a short course on ways to decrease/avoid dashboard IO OR should an organization (if sufficiently large) include an IO champion position that can advise developers how to reduce IO threats among other responsibilities to improve judgment and decision processes? #EndInfoOverload

New Technology-Enabled Approaches to Avoiding Collaboration Overload

More than 8 million customers across 70,000 companies use Slack’s collaboration-messaging tool. The vendor, which recently filed for an IPO, has been the poster child of the burgeoning enterprise collaboration and messaging space which is projected to hit $3.2 billion by 2021, according to International Data Corp.

There’s no shortage of enterprise aptitude for digital collaboration tools. But in the midst of this digital collaboration arms race, are we helping or hurting overall workplace productivity and effectiveness?

“Real-time communications and collaboration provide many advantages to knowledge workers, enabling flexible work arrangements that allow them to work anywhere, anytime. The flip side is that workers are now available 24/7, blurring the lines between work and personal time. It also tends to foster an ‘always-on’ mentality, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace,” says Raul Castanon-Martinez, an industry analyst with 451 Research. “Knowledge workers have come to rely on real-time communications and team collaboration technologies but find themselves constantly bombarded with distractions from email, phone calls, mobile messaging and notifications.”

We’ve now reached a state of communication overload. What are the best way’s to address this?

IO typically is associated with processing input from external sources, e.g., e-mail and search engine results.

An IO issue also can occur when retrieving information from our memory, e.g., the cue used for retrieval may be associated with multiple items in our long-term memory. Specificity of encoding information to be stored will reduce this risk.

Matthew Guyan suggests 5 ways to improve the distinctiveness of encoding cues for effective recall

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Further, McDermitt & Roediger III (Washington U.) describe the 3 stages of memory processing–a foundation for understanding the role of cues for information retrieval.

Consider how mnemonics, acronyms, and acrostics can facilitate encoding information for targeted, not diffuse recall. #EndInfoOverload

This post takes a look at the effect of smartphones on small children, 10 years and younger. Recent surveys show figures around 25% for children under 10 who have their own device, and these numbers are rising; the risks are severe, and span a wide range from damaged personality development to visual impairment.
The post goes beyond the risks and looks at some solutions, at the country, school, and personal level.

IORG Podcast #2

Interview by IORG Member Lele Terenzani with Dr. Lawrence Ampofo – Digital Mindfulness Master.

IORG Podcast #1

Interview about the start of IORG and Information Overload Solutions with Nathan Zeldes

This article promotes the following strategy: inbox infinity. “Adopting inbox infinity means accepting the fact that there will be an endless, growing amount of email in your inbox every day, most of which you will never address or even see. It’s about letting email messages wash over you, responding to the ones you can, but ignoring most.”

Your non-paperless office is costing you more than you think, but the benefits of going paperless can deliver an impressive level of return on investment. Studies show that enterprise content management (ECM) offers some of the highest direct ROI rates ever reported. One study reported nearly 60 percent of ECM users achieved payback in 12 months or less — a single budget cycle — and 28 percent experienced positive returns after just 6 months.

If your organization is just now starting down the paperless path, you can take heart knowing there is tremendous financial growth to be had which will make the transition considerably worthwhile.

As with all transformations, only with truth can you see the light. If organizations are prepared to take on the real work that is needed for process automation, they’ll reap the rewards of cost savings and greater efficiency, giving them the means to support better employee and customer experiences.