Sensor-Based Statistical Models of Human Interruptibility

Computing and communication systems are at the core of the modern office worker’s everyday experience. At any given point in time, a person might be notified of the arrival of a new email, receive an instant message from a colleague, be reminded by a calendar program of an upcoming appointment, receive a phone call on their office or mobile phone, and be involved in a face-to-face interaction with a colleague. Any one of these demands for attention can be addressed relatively easily, but the sum of repeated or simultaneous demands can become disruptive. Current systems interrupt at inappropriate times or unduly demand attention because they have no way to determine when an interruption is appropriate. A person preparing to make a telephone call typically has no way to know that the callee is in the middle of a face-to-face meeting, and an email client about to announce the arrival of a new message cannot determine whether an obvious or subtle notification is currently more appropriate.