FocussedModePlus

Distractions are the norm in this day and age. For all of its convenient benefits, the digital era has also brought about a myriad of ways to distract you from doing anything other than what is required at any given moment.

This issue is magnified for people on the autism spectrum, as it’s very easy to get distracted by all the bells and whistles of a computer screen. FocussedModePlus takes an interesting approach in that sense, as it creates a “layer of focus” per the developer, which lets users view only a certain part of their screen, therefore eliminating any possible distractions.

The program employs a simple solution to deal with the typically distraction-heavy environment of a computer. This can prove effective for some users, but I’d recommend looking at the available hotkeys before booting up the app.

I’m saying this because there’s no menu or notice in the app itself to inform users of the usable hotkeys, which can end up leaving some people confused. Right upon executing the app, only a section of your screen will be displayed within four white borders, while the rest of the display will be pitch dark.

This section can be modified to some extent. The < and > hotkeys will change its vertical proportions, while the – and = buttons will resize it horizontally. Note that the area will follow your cursor, so feel free to configure its size as you see fit.

A common problem I encountered was that the hotkeys refused to work at all, requiring me to restart the program to get the full functionality back. This also manifested itself with dual monitor setups, where using the second monitor would prevent me from resizing the focus area.

It’s worth noting that only the primary monitor will benefit from the focus area in multi-monitor setups. In such cases, the other monitors will simply display their content normally, which means that the program fails to provide a distraction-free environment across all your displays.

FocussedModePlus is an attempt to provide a desktop environment free of distractions, but I’d say there’s certainly room for improvement. Informing users of the hotkeys inside the app would be appreciated, and fixing the previously mentioned bugs would set the app on the right track.