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Supporting Multi-Tasking of Activities

The document discusses research into how information workers multitask different activities in an office environment, finding that they spend an average of 3 minutes on each task before switching and manage around 12 different "working spheres" per day. It also presents an initial system called "Sphere Juggler" designed to help users manage and switch between different working spheres by aggregating related resources. Future work proposed includes further studying multitasking practices and designing planning and task management tools.

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Mohsan Naqi
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68 views18 pages

Supporting Multi-Tasking of Activities

The document discusses research into how information workers multitask different activities in an office environment, finding that they spend an average of 3 minutes on each task before switching and manage around 12 different "working spheres" per day. It also presents an initial system called "Sphere Juggler" designed to help users manage and switch between different working spheres by aggregating related resources. Future work proposed includes further studying multitasking practices and designing planning and task management tools.

Uploaded by

Mohsan Naqi
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Supporting multi-tasking of activities

Dr. Víctor M. González


Interactive Systems Design Group
University of Manchester
vmgonz@manchester.ac.uk
Overview

> Some characteristics of multi-tasking

> Office work: multi-tasking research

> Sphere Juggler


Challenges to support Multi-tasking

• Information workers have to cope with the


demands emerging by the multiple activities they
are engaged in.

• Current designs of information technology do not


provide a comprehensive support for the
management of activities.

• There is a lack of comprehensive understanding of


the phenomenon of managing multiple activities.
Office work: Multi-tasking research
The area of study:
• Personal activity management
• Modern information workers

The approach taken


• Systematic observation of 36 information workers as
they conducted their activities in the workplace
• Interviews to discuss various aspects of the
phenomenon, as well as reflective accounts about
observations
• Informants included software developers, financial
analysts, support engineers, projects leaders and
managers.
Office work: Multi-tasking research
Average continuous time spent on actions before switching
% entire Avg. Time/Day Avg. Time/ Action
Actions
day (sd) (sd)
Using phone 7.6 0:39:48 (0:29:10) 0:03:02 (0:01:28)
Using e-mail 8.3 0:43:31 (0:20:27) 0:02:04 (0:00:42)
Using PCs 27.8 2:26:21 (1:08:23) 0:02:30 (0:00:45)
Using paper documents 6.6 0:34:51 (0:25:10) 0:01:50 (0:00:52)
Using other tools 0.8 0:04:02 (0:03:55) 0:01:15 (0:00:43)
Talking through the walls 1.7 0:08:46 (0:10:29) 0:01:06 (0:01:14)
Talking to others in own cubicle 8.3 0:43:45 (0:29:37) 0:04:29 (0:02:49)
Formal meetings 14.3 1:15:21 (1:00:12) 0:42:56 (0:19:11)
Talking to others in other cubicles 12.4 1:05:24 (0:37:40) 0:08:21 (0:03:27)
Personal 11.2 0:59:11 (0:26:13) 0:33:32 (0:27:40)
Unknown 1.0 0:05:15 (0:08:59) 0:05:09 (0:09:05)
All actions except “Formal 73.5 0:48:19 (0:53:05) 0:03:05 (0:02:51)
meetings”, “Personal” and
“Unknown”
All actions total 100% 0:47:51 (0:51:48) 0:09:40 (0:17:19)
Office work: Multi-tasking research
Moving beyond actions: the need for a notion
Phone call with client
+
Meeting with developer
+
Composing e-mail message
=
Client’s problem with system

• The analysis was oriented toward understanding how


actions were related to other actions around practical
units of work: working spheres
Office work: Multi-tasking research
Average no. working spheres and segment for all informants

Avg. Time/W.S.
Type of working Avg. #. W.S. Avg. Total Time/W.S.
per segment
sphere per day (sd) per day (sd)
(sd)
9.31 0:12:16 0:43:21
Central
(4.99) (0:03:56) (0:19:38)
2.90 0:05:34 0:08:18
Peripheral
(1.63) (0:03:43) (0:06:06)
12.22 0:10:29 0:33:58
All
(5.30) (0:02:51) (0:12:04)
Office work: Multi-tasking research
Strategies to manage activities
People gain an overview of their working spheres at the
beginning of the day/week and update it as conditions
change
Consolidation of information from many sources
Office work: Multi-tasking research
Constant renewal of overviews: different perspectives
Global: provide major summaries of the work
Local: help manage the day-to-day things

Global perspective Local perspective


Our approach: Sphere Juggler
Personal Activity Management

The approach: Sphere juggler


Initial system to support activity
switching and context recovery
Aggregation of resources around
working spheres (emails, URLs,
documents, contacts)
Implementation: Windows XP and MS
Outlook
Our approach: Sphere Juggler

Centralized Sphere Management Stepper Learning Curve

Quick Sphere Targeting Drag & Drop enabled

Document Monitoring

PIM Integration
Sphere’s space association

Quick Sphere Switching Highly Customizable


Open Docs

Active Spheres
Our approach: Sphere Juggler
Scenario
Our approach: Sphere Juggler
Personal Activity Management
PDA Version
Integration with Whiteboard
Medical Interns
Future work on this area

> Study of multi-tasking practices with information


workers (executives) in Ensenada, Mexico.
> Design of a planning and task-management tool

> Theorizing on the conceptualization of personal


activities

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