ABSTRACT
Spontaneous communication is common in the workplace but can be disruptive. Such communication usually benefits the initiator more than the target of the disruption. Previous research has indicated that awareness displays showing the workload of a target can reduce the harm interruptions inflict, but can increase the cognitive load on interrupters. This paper describes an experiment testing whether team membership influences interrupters' motivation to use awareness displays and whether the informational-intensity of a display influences its utility and cost. Results indicate interrupters use awareness displays to time communication only when they and their partners are rewarded as a team and that this timing improves the target's performance on a continuous attention task. Eye-tracking data shows that monitoring an information-rich display imposes a substantial attentional cost on the interrupters, and that an abstract display provides similar benefit with less distraction.
- Abel, M.J., Experiences in an exploratory distributed organization, in Intellectual teamwork: Social and technological foundations of group work, J. Galegher, R. Kraut, and C. Egido, Editors. 1990, Lawrence Earlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, NJ. p. 489--510. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Begole, J.B., Tang, J.C., and Hill, R. Rhythm modeling, visualizations and applications, in Proceedings of the 2003 Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2003). 2003. p. 11--20. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Cadiz, J.J., Venolia, G.D., Jancke, G., and Gupta, A. Designing and deploying an information awareness interface, in Proceedings of the 2002 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2002). 2002. ACM Press. p. 314--323. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Cutrell, E., Czerwinski, M., and Horvitz, E. Notification, Disruption, and Memory: Effects of Messaging Interruptions on Memory and Performance, in Proceedings of Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (INTERACT 2001). 2001. Tokyo, Japan: IOS Press. p. 263--269.Google Scholar
- Dabbish, L.A. and Kraut, R.E. Coordinating communication: Awareness displays and interruption, in Extended Abstracts of the ACM conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2003). 2003. ACM Press. p. 786--787. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Dourish, P. and Bly, S., Portholes: Supporting awareness in a distributed work group, in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 1992), 1992, ACM Press. New York. p. 541--547. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Erickson, T., Smith, D.N., Kellogg, W.A., Laff, M., Richards, J.T., and Bradner, E. Socially translucent systems: social proxies, persistent conversation, and the design of "babble", in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 1999). 1999. p. 72--79. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Fish, R.S., Kraut, R.E., Root, R.W., and Rice, R., Evaluating video as a technology for informal communication. Communications of the ACM, 1993. 36(1): p. 48--61. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Fitts, P.M., Jones, R.E., and Milton, J.L., Eye movements of aircraft pilots during instrument-landing approaches. Aeronautical Engineering Review, 1950. 9(2): p. 24--29.Google Scholar
- Fogarty, J., Lai, J., and Christensen, J., Presence versus availability: The design and evaluation of a context-aware communication client. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2004. To appear. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Gaertner, S.L., and Insko, C.A., Intergroup discrimination in the minimal group paradigm: Categorization, reciprocation, or fear? Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 2000. 79(1): p. 77--94.Google Scholar
- Goldberg, J.H., and Kotval, X.P., Eye movement-based evaluation of the computer interface., in Advances in Occupational Ergonomics and Safety, S.K. Kumar, Editor 1998, ISO Press. Amsterdam. p. 529--532.Google Scholar
- Heath, C.G., Jirotka, M., Luff, P., and Hindmarsh, J., Unpacking collaboration: The interactional organisation of trading in a city dealing room. Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 1995. 3(2): p. 147--165. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Henry, K.B., Arrow, H., Carini, B., A tripartite model of group identification: Theory and measurement. Small Group Research, 1999. 30(5): p. 558--581.Google Scholar
- Horvitz, E., Jacobs, A., and Hovel, D. Attention-sensitive alerting, in TY - CONF: Proceedings of Conference on Uncertainty and Articial Intelligence (UAI 1999). 1999. Stockholm, Sweden: Morgan Kaufmann. p. 305--313. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Hudson, S. and Smith, I., Techniques for addressing fundamental privacy and disruption tradeoffs in awareness support, in Proceedings of the 1997 SIGCHI Conference, 1996, ACM Press. New York. p. 248--257. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Hudson, S.E., Fogarty, J., Atkeson, C.G., Avrahami, D., Forlizzi, J., Kiesler, S., Lee, J.C., and Yang, J. Predicting human interruptibility with sensors: A wizard of Oz feasibility study, in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2003). 2003. ACM Press. p. 257--264. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Isaacs, E., Walendowski, A., & Ranganathan, D. Hubbub: A sound-enhanced mobile instant messenger that supports awareness and opportunistic interactions, in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2002). 2002. ACM Press. p. 179--186. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Jacob, R.J.K., and Karn, K.S., Eye tracking in human-computer interaction and usability research: Ready to deliver the promises (Section Commentary), in The Mind's Eye: Cognitive and Applied Aspects of Eye Movement Research, J. Hyona, Radach, R., and Deubel, H., Editor 2003, Elsevier Science. Amsterdam. p. 573--605.Google Scholar
- Kraut, R.E. and Attewell, P., Media use in a global corporation: Electronic mail and organizational knowledge, in Culture of the Internet, S.K., Editor 1997, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Mahwah, NJ. p. 323--342.Google Scholar
- Kraut, R.E., Fish, R., Root, R., and Chalfonte, B., Informal communication in organizations: Form, function, and technology., in Human reactions to technology: Claremont symposium on applied social psychology, S. Oskamp, Editor 1990, Sage Publications. Beverly Hills, CA.Google Scholar
- McCarthy, J.C., and Monk, A.F., Measuring the quality of computer-mediated communication. Behavior & Information Technology, 1994. 13(5): p. 311--319.Google Scholar
- McFarlane, D., Comparison of four primary methods for coordinating the interruption of people in human-computer interaction. Human-Computer Interaction, 2002. 17(1): p. 63--139. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Mintzberg, H., The manager's job: Folklore and fact, in Leadership: Understanding the dynamics of power and influence in organizations, R.P. Vecchio, Editor 1997, University of Notre Dame Press. Notre Dame, IN, US. p. 35--53.Google Scholar
- O'Conaill, B. and Frohlich, D., Timespace in the workplace: Dealing with interruptions, in Extended Abstracts of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 1995), 1995, ACM Press. New York. p. 262--263. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Panko, R.R., Managerial communication patterns. Journal of Organizational Computing., 1992. 2: p. 95--122.Google Scholar
- Perlow, L.A., The time famine: Toward a sociology of work time. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1999. 44(1): p. 57--81.Google Scholar
- RealVNC, RealVNC Ltd., http://www.realvnc.com/.Google Scholar
- Reder, S. and Schwab, R.G., The communicative economy of the workgroup: Multi-channel genres of communication, in Proceedings of the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 1988), 1988, ACM Press. New York. p. 354--368. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Reder, S. and Schwab, R.G., The temporal structure of cooperative activity. Proceedings of the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 1990), 1990. p. 303--316. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Sproull, L., The nature of managerial attention, in Advances in Information Processing in Organizations, L. Sproull and J. Larkey, Editors. 1984, JAI Press. New York. p. 9--27.Google Scholar
- Tang, J.C., Isaacs, E.A., and Rua, M., Supporting distributed groups with a montage of lightweight interactions, in Proceeding of the Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 1994), 1994, ACM Press. New York. p. 23--34. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Tang, J.C., Yankelovich, N., Begole, J.B., Van Kleek, M., Li, F., and Bhalodia, J. ConNexus to Awarenex: Extending awareness to mobile users, in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2001). 2001. p. 221--228. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Teasley, S., Covi, L., Krishnan, M.S., and Olson, J.S. How does radical collocation help a team succeed?, in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer-supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2000). 2000. ACM Press. p. 339--346. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Tetard, F., On fragmentation of working time: A study of causes and effects on work interruptions. Institute for Advanced Management Systems Research, IAMSR Research Report 99, 1999.Google Scholar
- van der Vegt, G., Emans, B., and van de Vliert, E., Motivating effects of task and outcome interdependence in work teams. Group & Organization Management, 1998. 23(2): p. 124--143.Google Scholar
- Whittaker, S., Frohlich, D., and Daly-Jones, O., Informal workplace communication: What is it like and how might we support it?, in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 1994), 1994, ACM Press. New York. p. 131--137. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Wickens, C.D.a.H., J.G., Engineering psychology and human performance. 3rd ed. 2000, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Controlling interruptions: awareness displays and social motivation for coordination
Recommendations
Reducing Interruptions at Work: A Large-Scale Field Study of FlowLight
CHI '17: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsDue to the high number and cost of interruptions at work, several approaches have been suggested to reduce this cost for knowledge workers. These approaches predominantly focus either on a manual and physical indicator, such as headphones or a closed ...
Research Note---Awareness Displays and Social Motivation for Coordinating Communication
Researchers and designers have been building awareness displays to improve the coordination of communication between distributed co-workers since the early 1990s. Awareness displays are technology designed to provide contextual information about the ...
Self-interruption on the computer: a typology of discretionary task interleaving
CHI '09: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsThe typical information worker is interrupted every 12 minutes, and half of the time they are interrupting themselves. However, most of the research on interruption in the area of human-computer interaction has focused on understanding and managing ...
Comments