Bridge
Explore

Also called: ADHD, attention differences, easily distracted

Focus & attention

When busy pages pull your attention in ten directions at once.

Some people's attention moves fast, jumps between ideas, or locks onto one thing so strongly that everything else fades. Many people with ADHD describe it this way, and so do plenty of people without a label. It is a different way of focusing, not a lack of effort.

The web is often built to grab attention: autoplay videos, endless feeds, pop-ups, badges and notifications. For someone whose focus is easily pulled, these designs turn a five-minute task into an hour.

Small changes to the page, the browser and the routine can give that attention back. Calmer layouts, fewer interruptions and clear next steps help everyone, and they help some people a lot.

See it for yourself

A short simulation. Then turn on the fix and notice the difference.

Simulation

Try reading this paragraph

Bridge helps people use the web in the way that works for them. Some people find long pages tiring, some miss spoken words in videos, and some cannot use a mouse for long. When a website is designed with care, these barriers get much smaller for everyone.

Autoplay video with music is playing below…

Around the paragraph, notifications keep popping up and a sale banner jumps up and down the side of the page.

A rough approximation. Attention differences vary a lot — for some people it's movement, for others sound or pop-ups.

What gets in the way online

  • Autoplay videos, animated adverts and pop-ups that interrupt reading
  • Endless feeds and 'recommended for you' links with no natural stopping point
  • Long forms with no progress indicator and no way to save and return
  • Walls of text with no headings, summaries or clear next step
  • Notifications from many apps arriving at the same time

What helps

  • Reader views and page simplifiers that hide everything except the main content
  • Ad blockers that remove moving adverts and pop-ups
  • Breaking tasks into small steps, with a timer for each one
  • Turning off non-essential notifications and using focus modes
  • Having text read aloud while following along on screen
  • Saving progress often, so stopping never means starting over

Tools that help

Learn more

Every course for Focus & attention