Workspace Narrative Exploration: overcoming Interruption-Caused Context Loss in Information Seeking Tasks

Abstract

As digital libraries become more prevalent and as the amount of accessible online information grows, users often must consult diverse information collections in carrying out tasks. Simultaneously, the impact of frequent interruptions on task performance gets more severe. To manage the negative effects of interruptions on work performance, workers often engage in task management activities to ensure they are better prepared to resume suspended tasks. However, managing tasks causes additional cognitive burden and incurs a time cost to users who already are experiencing demands on their attention and time. We describe a system that allows users to browse their previous workspace intuitively, and enhances continuity of their tasks by supporting them to retrieve desired work context more quickly and easily.