ABSTRACT
Previous studies of multitasking have highlighted the importance of cognitive load in interruptibility by showing that forced interruptions are least disruptive when cognitive load is low, and also that users prefer to address interruptions at low-load points when given a choice. We present an empirical study that uses a ringing-phone scenario to examine how users manage deferrable interruptions in the presence of varying time constraints. We found that while cognitive load did influence multitasking as expected, the time constraints placed on the user also had a significant impact. In particular, we observed three distinct strategies for addressing interruption: the expected strategy of switching at low-load points, but also two other strategies of continuing on after a low-load point or giving up at a high-load point. The presence of the latter two strategies strongly suggests that users can adapt their multitasking behavior with respect to the time constraints of the interrupting task.
Supplemental Material
Available for Download
Slides from the presentation
- B. P. Bailey and S. T. Iqbal. Understanding changes in mental workload during execution of goal-directed tasks and its application for interruption management. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact., 14(4):1--28, 2008. Google ScholarDigital Library
- B. P. Bailey and J. A. Konstan. On the need for attention-aware systems: Measuring effects of interruption on task performance, error rate, and affective state. Computers in Human Behavior, 22(4):685--708, 2006.Google ScholarCross Ref
- E. Cutrell, M. Czerwinski, and E. Horvitz. Notification, disruption, and memory: Effects of messaging interruptions on memory and performance. pages 263--269. IOS Press, 2001.Google Scholar
- M. Czerwinski, E. Cutrell, and E. Horvitz. Instant messaging and interruption: Effects of relevance and timing. In Proc. HCI 2000, pages 71--76, 2000.Google Scholar
- M. Czerwinski, E. Cutrell, and E. Horvitz. Instant messaging and interruption: Influence of task type on performance. In Proc. OZCHI 2000, pages 356--361, 2000.Google Scholar
- V. M. González and G. Mark. Constant, constant, multi-tasking craziness: managing multiple working spheres. In Proc CHI 2004, pages 113--120. ACM, 2004. Google ScholarDigital Library
- S. T. Iqbal and B. P. Bailey. Investigating the effectiveness of mental workload as a predictor of opportune moments for interruption. In Proc CHI 2005, pages 1489--1492. ACM, 2005. Google ScholarDigital Library
- S. T. Iqbal and E. Horvitz. Disruption and recovery of computing tasks: field study, analysis, and directions. In Proc CHI 2007, pages 677--686. ACM, 2007. Google ScholarDigital Library
- K. A. Latorella. Investigating interruptions: An example from the flightdeck. Proc. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 40:249--253(5), 1996.Google ScholarCross Ref
- C. A. Monk, J. G. Trafton, and D. A. Boehm-Davis. The effect of interruption duration and demand on resuming suspended goals. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 14:299--313, 2008.Google ScholarCross Ref
- D. D. Salvucci and P. Bogunovich. Monotasking and multitasking: the effects of mental workload on deferred task interruptions. In Proc. CHI 2010. ACM, 2010. Google ScholarDigital Library
- D. D. Salvucci and N. A. Taatgen. The Multitasking Mind. Oxford University Press, New York, 2011.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- The effects of time constraints on user behavior for deferrable interruptions
Recommendations
Toward a unified theory of the multitasking continuum: from concurrent performance to task switching, interruption, and resumption
CHI '09: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsMultitasking in user behavior can be represented along a continuum in terms of the time spent on one task before switching to another. In this paper, we present a theory of behavior along the multitasking continuum, from concurrent tasks with rapid ...
Multitasking and monotasking: the effects of mental workload on deferred task interruptions
CHI '10: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsRecent research has found that forced interruptions at points of higher mental workload are more disruptive than at points of lower workload. This paper investigates a complementary idea: when users experience deferrable interruptions at points of ...
A diary study of task switching and interruptions
CHI '04: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsWe report on a diary study of the activities of information workers aimed at characterizing how people interleave multiple tasks amidst interruptions. The week-long study revealed the type and complexity of activities performed, the nature of the ...
Comments