Supporting working time interruption management through persuasive design

Abstract

Knowledge workers often suffer productivity loss because of unsuccessful interruption handling, which can lead to even more detrimental behaviors like "cyber-slacking" and procrastination. Many of the interruption management techniques proposed in the research literature focus on minimizing interruption occurrences. However, given the inevitability of internal and external interruptions in everyday life, it may be more practical to help people regulate how they respond to interruptions using persuasive technologies. The aim of this dissertation is to explore and evaluate the design of persuasive computer agents that encourage information workers to resume interrupted work. Based on a systematic review of interruptions in the workplace, theories of self-regulation, and theories guiding the design of persuasive technologies, this dissertation describes the creation of a prototype research platform, WiredIn. WiredIn enables researchers to explore a variety of interruption resumption support strategies on desktop computers. Two empirical studies that investigate the efficacy, attributes, and consequences of applying the paradigms embodied in WiredIn in controlled and real-life working environments are presented here. Both studies validate the effect of persuasive interventions on improving interruption management behaviors; the second study also provides design suggestions that can inform future work in supporting interruption management and multitasking.