I would say minimizing the current context a person has to deal with. The most common places I see non-technical users fail is in multitasking multiple windows or browser tabs/windows. They get hidden, minimized, and we all know how on OSX the menu bar can be controls the last focused application, not necessarily the one that has the user's attention/is taking the majority of the screen. Lastly, sharing information between these applications.
With mobile, only 1 app is active at a time, and sharing information between apps is either seamless, or only requires a similar action on every app, the share icon, which presents a list of apps that the current app suggests sharing the data with.
I think you're on to something. Know of any ways to make a desktop experience enforce a single context? Essentially build a smartphone-like interface, except for desktops?
With mobile, only 1 app is active at a time, and sharing information between apps is either seamless, or only requires a similar action on every app, the share icon, which presents a list of apps that the current app suggests sharing the data with.