Multi-sense and Multi-tasking Experience

There was a time not that long ago when people would use a single sense and carry out a single task in a single place. We now tend to use multiple senses and carry out multiple tasks while moving from place to place.

There are advantages and disadvantages of the technologies that make this possible. Fans of technology, like myself, tend to focus on the huge benefits of essentially doing more and having a wider sensory experience while doing it. Critics of technology focus on the negatives involving safety, health, and overall quality of work and life. The fans and critics are both right and we as users of technology (and some of us as designers of technology) should periodically take stock of whether the right balance has been struck given the particular context of use.

For example, I started writing this post on the treadmill while listening to a podcast. The ability to do three things at once when we all have so little time in a day is so tempting thanks to these technologies. I find that listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks while on the treadmill or driving is the perfect combination. Listening to podcasts or audiobooks while answering email or tweeting also works but I typically have to switch to instrumental music while writing something more substantial that requires more thought and attention. For certain types of work, I have to turn off all sound and instant messaging/texting clients and focus on a single-task. I got off the treadmill and switched to instrumental music to finish this post.

We all have different thresholds when it comes to what we desire as a minimum level of multi-sense and multi-tasking as well as what the maximum level of these that we can handle. In addition, certain situations and types of work should further determine the optimal level. I think we need to find those thresholds and consider contexts to determine the right level in a particular situation.

Of course, then we all also need to take the occasional sabbatical from technology entirely to think freely and fully experience the world and people around us. I worry that we don't do that enough with the ready availability of all this technology all the time.

As always, I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts on this via the commenting mechanism.

Comments

[wersdaluv]

Check this out. Aza Raskin said that we can't multitask http://www.azarask.in/blog/post/you-cant-multitask/

I think, "multi-tasking" has to be more clearly defined. However, with Aza's definition, I believe in his arguments

[Karel]

Thanks so much for the pointer to Aza Raskin's thoughts on this topic. He does a good job of describing the mechanism that underlies whether you're able to do more than one thing at a time.

If a task is so well-learned and practiced that it can be carried out automatically--without much cognitive processing--then you can do something else at the same time. Even if a task is well-learned and automatic, the situation can change requiring you to expend more cognitive resources and, in turn, not be able to do something at the same time. His descriptions and very informative experiments further reinforce my advice in this post to determine what your level of multi-tasking should be based on your own threshold and task and situational factors.

I think people also differ in their ability to redirect attention from one task to another as well as effectively perceiving the need to assign more cognitive resources to an interrupt.

To your point of better defining multi-tasking, I'd say simply that it is act of performing more than one task concurrently either by a combination of carrying out one or more tasks automatically or by switching focus rapidly between them.

Thanks for your comments.

[wersdaluv]

Good definition. Earlier, I actually failed to consider rapid switching between tasks.

I read somewhere (sorry, I really forgot the source) that multitasking isn't beneficial because the person has to change dispositions for each task. This way, time is wasted because it is spent for switching dispositions instead of the actual work.

I think, we need a more universal definition of the term. Aza only considered the concurrent carrying out of different task while my other resource only spoke of rapidly switching between tasks. Your definition should be used universally.

[Govind]

Im not that much of a reader to be honest but your blogs pretty good, keep it up as I will bookmark ready for my next read

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