The idea that structure—not just content—shapes engagement has gained traction for years. Early research on digital news showed that presentation influences whether audiences continue reading, even when the topic is relevant. Related work on attention and learning further demonstrated that exposure alone does not guarantee understanding; how information is structured directly affects what people process and retain.

This emphasis on giving users control over how they interact with information reflects long-standing principles in human-computer interaction. Ben Shneiderman’s extensive work on direct manipulation and flexible interfaces underscores the importance of enabling users to navigate information dynamically—an idea that translates today into multiple entry points, allowing users to decide where to begin, what to explore, and how deeply to engage.

At the same time, content varies in its ability to attract and hold attention. My research shows that the most effective digital content for consistently building “attention momentum” has five key features: it is scannable, personalized, interactive, curiosity-driven, and emotionally relevant. Together, these elements form SPICE—a set of characteristics that increases the likelihood that users will engage, even when time and attention are limited. These ideas, supported by a recent experiment with more than 1,600 online participants, are detailed in the recent book The Digital Engagement Model.

The key insight is that engagement depends on aligning content structure with the user’s digital DIET at that moment. A person with two minutes on a phone in a noisy environment needs a very different entry point than someone sitting at a desk with time to think. Yet both users may be equally interested in the topic. When we present information in a single, fixed format, we force all users onto the same path. Many simply cannot follow it, regardless of their motivation.

The new Smart Story Structure is designed to address this mismatch. Rather than organizing information as a single linear narrative, it restructures the same content into multiple entry points aligned with different digital DIET conditions. At the top, users see an immediate, meaningful summary that delivers essential information in seconds. From there, they can choose what to explore next—whether a key fact, a visual explanation, or a deeper section of the story. The structure does not remove depth. It makes depth optional and accessible. Users can engage briefly or more deeply, depending on their time and context, without losing coherence. This adaptive approach builds on a broader line of work showing that reorganizing content—not rewriting it—can significantly change how people engage with information.

This shift reframes the long-standing divide between short-form and long-form content. Traditionally, they are treated as separate products. Short-form content is quick but often shallow, while long-form content is rich but time-consuming. Smart Story Structure integrates both within a single interface. A single story can serve both a scanner seeking immediate insight and a reader seeking deeper understanding. The difference lies not in the information itself but in how it is organized and revealed.

Early testing of this approach suggests that structure alone can significantly influence outcomes. When users control how they navigate information, they report greater understanding and are more likely to continue engaging. In some cases, they spend less time overall yet recall more of what they read. This challenges the assumption that longer exposure leads to better comprehension. When content aligns with the user’s digital DIET, even brief interactions can be effective.

The implications extend well beyond journalism. In education, students often face the same mismatch between how material is presented and the conditions under which they study. Long readings may go unfinished, not because students lack ability or motivation, but because the format does not align with their available time and environment. A Smart Story Structure can reorganize these materials into adaptive pathways, enabling students to grasp core ideas quickly and then build toward deeper understanding when they are ready. Similar opportunities exist in public communication, where critical information about health, climate, or policy must reach audiences who may have only seconds to engage.

At its core, this is a shift from content-centered design to user-centered design. The digital DIET is always present, shaping engagement in ways we cannot ignore. If we continue to design for an idealized reader with unlimited time and focus, we will continue to lose real audiences—even those who are interested. But if we design for how people actually encounter information, we can expand access and improve understanding.

The question is no longer whether people are interested. It is whether our information is structured to meet them where they are. The Smart Story Structure offers one answer: build content that adapts to the digital DIET, and engagement will follow.