Virtual Secretary: A Knowledge-based User Interface for File Management

File organisation and fire sharing are essential activities for every computer user. We propose a knowledge-based user interface, called a Virtual Secretary (VS), for file management. The system is designed to emulate the basic behaviour of a human secretary, and it allows a user to instruct the VS to perform tasks for managing files, instead of manipulating files directly through windows as with a conventional operating system. The system is supported by a knowledge base and a collection of Agents, which are programs that manage and process the knowledge collected, and work behind the scene aiding gradual proliferation of knowledge. In this paper, we present our experience in designing and implementing a VS user interface, its system architecture, its knowledge base and a collection of agents. We demonstrate that it is desirable as well as feasible to deploy a knowledge base in supporting an intelligent user interface that acts like a human assistant who handles paperwork, looks after filing, security and so on. We show that such a user interface has the potential to be evolved into a highly intelligent assistant to a user over a period of service and through the introduction of more intelligent agents.