Limitation of human processing capacity: from an abundance of choice to attention
Our consciousness, the distribution center where different events are described and compared by different sensory organs, is not a shapeless mess. The force that organizes information in our consciousness, could be called ‘intention’. Intentions appear on the stage of the consciousness the moment someone realizes that he want to have or achieve something. They function as magnetic fields that focuses our attention, making sure we concentrate on certain stimuli.

Unfortunately the nerve system has only a limited capacity of processing information within a certain time. The ‘events’ in the consciousness soon start to push each other aside: only a few can be recognized and processed. In fact only a few things can occur simultaneously and are limited to things like chewing a bubble gum while walking.

The information we permit to our consciousness is therefore very important. Information only enters the consciousness when we are willing to focus our attention on it. Our attention selects the most relevant information units from maybe millions of possible option.

Attention is key: where do you engage in?
You could say that in todays digital world with all its abundance of information, the only scarcity left is “attention”. People have so many stimuli to choose from that it it have become of the utmost importance for everything to scream for you attention in order to get noticed. The enormous amount of choice in the physical world is much the same. Whether it is the twenty toothpastes you can choose from, the twenty insurance policies available, or the millions of web pages that might be interesting to visit, choice is ubiquitous. But what is not unlimited is the amount of information that we’re able to process. In the selective process that then occurs, attention is key. But where do you focus you attention on?

Business got it all figured out. In the digital sphere content is king. Content needs to be informative and easy to digest. Additionally a whole ecosystem of companies has arisen that takes care of the so called stickiness of your website, by which we are to spend more time on the site in order to fight the urge to check out the million of other web pages. On top of that every product or services in the physical world tends to turn itself into an experience with the goal to have a profound impact on every day’s activity. Whether the experience is a visit to Disney World or the roller-coaster gum ball machine that takes 60 seconds before it delivers the candy, everything tends to become an experience. And most experiences take time.

Dividing time
The amount of disposable time we are able  to spend in a day however stays the same. So choices have to be made. What experience do you engage in, and what not. So if there is such a thing as the Experience Economy (or Attention Economy for that matter), what is the counter force that saves time in order to engage in the ‘experiences’ of your preference.

I think one of the counter forces that can be seen as ‘not-experiences’ nowadays, is expressed in the increased consumption of on-the-go food. Also very easy to digest. Producers of such food have paid much attention to delivering balanced meals that you can put in the micro-wave or eat from the hand. But you still have to go to the store and cue in line. So… that made me think about vending machines.

Vending machines are probably one of the most unpersonal ways to get a product. But its fast and the amount of choice is dramatically decreased. Of course not every product is suitable for such a speedy transaction, but most small products that well known, preservable and don’t need a reciept could be on display. The machines take up little space and with today’s connectivity they can be placed practically everywhere. And most importantly, they save a lot of time for transactions that don’t need any engagement. So while an experience consumes most of our attention and time, a vending machine just facilitates a small transaction, creating time for all those other products and services that scream for attention…