User research for interaction design Multitasking

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User research for interaction design
Multitasking

• Victor Kaptelinin
• vklinin_at_informatik.umu.se090-786 5927
• Feb 24, 2006

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Multitasking A diary study -- I

• How people interleave multiple tasks
• A week long study
• Complex, long-term projects are poorly supported
  by existing software systems
• Prospective memory failures
• A failure to remember the task that needs to be
  performed in the future
• PM requires remembering recall at the
  appropriate moment in time
• 11 users stock broker, comp. sci. teacher, web
  designer, salesman

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Multitasking A diary study -- II

• Task defined Participants were asked to define
  their tasks
• Parameters measured Time to task start,
  switching difficulty, documents included in task,
  what was forgotten, number of interruptions
• Types of tasks
• Returned-to tasks
• Implications for design
• project-specific reminders and document sets,
  GroupBar

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Multitasking Shadowing

• Shadowing as an observation technique
• Object of study
• Types of work
• Time spent before switching
• Conclusions
• Metawork
• Tasks vs working spheres
• Internal vs external interruptions
• Implications fo design