• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Cognitive Abilities, Interfaces and Tasks: Effects on Prospective Information Handling in Email by Jacek Stanisław Gwizdka A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Toronto © Copyright by Jacek Gwizdka 2004 “Cognitive Abilities, Interfaces and Tasks: Effects on Prospective Information Handling in Email” Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Jacek Stanisław Gwizdka Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto Abstract This dissertation is focused on new email user interfaces that may improve awareness and handling of task-laden messages in the inbox. The practical motivation for this research was to help email users process messages more effectively. A field study was conducted to examine email practices related to handling messages that refer to pending tasks. Individual differences in message handling style were observed, with one group of users transferring such messages out of their email pro- grams to other applications (e.g., calendars), while the other group kept prospective messages in email and used the inbox as a reminder of future events. Two novel graphical user interfaces were designed to facilitate monitoring and retrieval of prospective information from email messages. The TaskView interface displayed task- laden messages on a two-dimensional grid (with time on the horizontal axis). The WebT- askMail interface retained the two-dimensional grid, but extended the representation of pending tasks (added distinction between events and to-do's with deadlines), a vertical date reading line, and more space for email message headers. ii Two user studies were conducted to test hypothesized benefits of the new visual repre- sentations and to examine the effects of different levels of selected cognitive abilities on task-laden message handling performance. Task performance on both of the new visual interfaces was faster than on the more traditional textual interfaces, but only when find- ing date-related information. Selected cognitive abilities were found to impact different dependent measures. Working memory and flexibility of closure had effects on perfor- mance time, while visual memory and working memory had effects on user interactions involving manipulation of the visual field, such as scrolling and sorting. This research contributes to understanding interactions among cognitive abilities, user interfaces and tasks. These interactions are essential for developing two types of inter- face: inclusive interfaces that work for users with a wide range of cognitive abilities, and personalized and adaptive interfaces that are fitted to individual characteristics. iii Acknowledgements I would like to specially thank my advisor, Professor Mark Chignell, for his mentorship, support, advice, guidance, patience, and wit. His perceptions of the field, and of research in general, have affected my current work, and will continue to do so in the future. I thank my thesis Committee members Professors Ron Baecker of the Computer Science Department, Elaine Toms of the Faculty of Information Studies, and David Sadleir of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department for their contributions of expertise and perspective, for their patience with my ideas, and for their invaluable feedback. I thank Professor monica schraefel for her research advice, while she was in the Computer Science Department at the University of Toronto. Many thanks to my external reviewer, Professor Chris Neuwirth of the Human-Com- puter Interaction Institute at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, for her invaluable comments which strengthened my research thinking. My colleague and friend, Dr. David Modjeska, deserves many thanks for discussions, advice, and for critically reading my dissertation draft before it was sent to the Commit- tee members. I would like to thank colleagues from the Interactive Media Lab in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. My colleagues from the group have been critically supportive. During the course of my doctoral research, I have been fortunate to have an opportunity to purse research at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (Xerox PARC), and at Hewlett Packard Labs (HP Labs). In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Michelle Baldonado of Xerox PARC for her mentorship and research guidance. Without her, the field study would not have been happened. Allan Kuchinsky of HP Labs deserves many thanks for his mentorship and encouragement. I also thank all my co–workers from the Human Document Interaction group at Xerox PARC and from the Multimedia Organization and Retrieval group at HP Labs. I would like to thank my parents, Alina and Stanisław Gwizdka, for instilling in me the desire for knowledge. Finally, I’d like to thank my wife, Joanna Sokołowska-Gwizdka, for patience, encourage- ment, support, and inspiration during the final years of my doctoral research. Completing a Ph. D. is like running a marathon. The ups and the downs of its various stages are impossible to endure without support from family, friends and colleagues. Thank You! iv Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v List of Tables ix List of Figures xii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation..........................................................................................................2 1.2 Thesis Objectives and Research Questions ...................................................5 1.3 Roadmap of the Dissertation...........................................................................8 Chapter 2 Background and Literature Review 10 2.1 Introduction.....................................................................................................11 2.2 Studies of Email Use.......................................................................................11 2.2.1 Motivation to Study Use of Email ................................................................................11 2.2.2 Studies of Email Use.......................................................................................................13 2.2.3 Summary..........................................................................................................................15 2.3 Information Types and Personal Information Management....................16 2.3.1 Personal Information Management and Information Types....................................17 2.3.2 Summary..........................................................................................................................21 2.4 Cognitive Abilities and Email Handling.....................................................22 2.4.1 Cognitive Abilities—Definitions ..................................................................................22 2.4.2 Long-term Memory ........................................................................................................22 2.4.3 Working Memory: Attention Control and Storage....................................................25 2.4.4 Spatial Ability and Visual Memory..............................................................................26 2.4.5 Perceptual Closure..........................................................................................................28 2.4.6 Relationship Among Cognitive Ability Factors .........................................................29 2.4.7 Effects of Individual Differences in Cognitive Abilities............................................30 2.4.8 Summary..........................................................................................................................30 2.5 Tools Supporting Prospective Information.................................................31 2.6 Email User Interfaces .....................................................................................34 2.6.1 Making Messages and Their Relationships Visible ...................................................34 2.6.2 Use of Time in Email ......................................................................................................38 2.6.3 Awareness and Reminding in Email ...........................................................................41 2.6.4 Task Management...........................................................................................................43 2.7 Summary..........................................................................................................45 Table of Contents v Table of Contents Chapter 3 Strategies for Handling Prospective Messages 47 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 48 3.1.1 Definitions........................................................................................................................48 3.2 Methodology .................................................................................................. 49 3.2.1 Procedure .........................................................................................................................49 3.2.2 Participants ......................................................................................................................50 3.3 Results and Analyses..................................................................................... 51 3.3.1 Prospective Information Handling—The Two Styles................................................51 3.3.2 Relationships Among Variables....................................................................................55

Load more

  264

Copy Link