Summary: Serial task switching, or rapidly shifting attention between tasks, is a natural user behavior that lowers productivity and increases stress and the chance of errors.
Be honest. How many tabs do you have open right now? If you’re like me, it’s probably more than you’d like to admit. Serial task switching is a natural behavior that has become part of our daily lives, whether you’re jumping between projects or exploring a thought that just popped into your head. Designing for this reality means helping users stay productive, reduce errors as they switch between tasks, and maintain focus when they choose to concentrate on just one.
Multitasking on the Web Is a Myth
To understand serial task switching, let’s first clarify what multitasking really means and why it’s often misunderstood.
Multitasking is the act of doing two or more tasks at the same time.