keskenduti

Keskenduti is a term used in contemporary media studies and cognitive science to describe the practice of concentrating attention on central elements of information or tasks. It functions both as a cognitive strategy and as a design principle in user interfaces and communication campaigns, aiming to reduce distraction and enhance clarity.

Etymology and status: The word appears to be a neologism with roots in Nordic languages, drawing on ideas of central focus. Its exact origin is not standardized, and it is used across Finnish- and Estonian-speaking contexts as a descriptive label rather than a fixed technical term.

Definitions and scope: Keskenduti can refer to individual behavior—selective attention toward core content—as well as organizational practices such as prioritizing essential information in messages, dashboards, or educational materials. It emphasizes reducing peripheral details to improve processing efficiency and retention.

Applications: In information design and user experience, keskenduti guides the highlighting of key actions and suppressing secondary options to steer user focus. In pedagogy and corporate communication, it informs structuring content around central concepts and goals. In journalism and policy discourse, it serves as a shorthand for emphasizing foundational facts over ancillary details.

Reception and critique: The term is relatively new and lacks a unified operational definition across disciplines. Proponents cite its usefulness for clarity and efficiency, while critics warn that overuse may oversimplify complex information or ignore important context.

See also: attention economy, selective attention, cognitive load, information architecture.