Supporting notable information in office work

Abstract

This paper reports a study examining how current electronic technology (e.g., PDAs, e-mail, laptops, cellphones) and classic paper-based tools (e.g., post-its, notepads, scrap paper) are used to manage to-do lists, appointments, and other types of notable information. Many of the users interviewed report that notes need to be temporary, viewable, mobile, postable, transferable, short, easy to create and destroy. Paper-based tools are clearly preferred over electronic for managing notable information, and are used much more often. PDAs are almost never used for notable information because they lack high-resolution screens, are bulky, and require too much time to enter new information. E-mail is the most used electronic tool and is commonly given dedicated screen space so that it was always visible. Design recommendations for electronic office technology are presented.