Restorative Interiors for the Digital Age: A Literature Review on Interior Design Strategies for Digital Fatigue

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technology has intensified human interaction with screen-based devices. The demand to remain continuously connected to digital devices across everyday activities has contributed to the emergence of digital fatigue, characterized by mental exhaustion, reduced attention, boredom, and stress. This condition highlights the need to consider the role of the physical environment in supporting recovery processes, particularly the interior environments in which people carry out their activities. This study aims to identify restorative needs associated with digital fatigue and to examine how restorative environmental characteristics can be translated into interior design strategies. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted, with the literature selection process guided by PRISMA. A total of 21 articles were analyzed and grouped into three areas: digital fatigue, restorative environments, and interior design. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) was used as the primary framework for understanding attention restoration, while Stress Reduction Theory (SRT) was used to examine stress recovery. The findings indicate that restorative needs associated with digital fatigue primarily concern attention restoration and stress reduction. Environmental characteristics such as being away, fascination, extent, compatibility, connection with nature, and visual and sensory environmental quality are relevant to restorative processes. In interior design, these characteristics can be translated through spatial configuration, lighting, color, materials, visual and sensory quality, and connections with natural elements. These findings provide the basis for a conceptual framework for restorative interiors and for the development of interior environments that may support attention restoration, stress reduction, and user well-being.