This document discusses proposed research into understanding how users' personal information management practices evolve over time and are influenced by their use of multiple devices. The research aims to study how PIM strategies change as users go through life transitions and how equilibrium is achieved. Two studies are proposed - one examining how activities, data, and synchronization differ across devices, and failures encountered, and a longitudinal study following users through transitions. The findings could inform design of new tools and applications to better integrate with users' information environments and address frustrations with multi-device PIM.

1. Understanding the Evolution
of Users’ Personal Information
Management Practices
Manas Tungare
Advisor: Manuel Pérez Quiñones
Watch on your laptop: manas.tungare.name/now

2. Research Area Overview
Human Computer Interaction
Personal
Multi-Platform
Information
User Interfaces
Management

3. Personal
Information
Management

4. Information In Many Forms
Jones 2002

5. Mind-boggling Amounts
126 Email messages per day
53364 Messages in personal archive
123997 Files in home directory
Anecdotal numbers; not real data.

6. Personal Information
Information about a person
Information kept for
kept by and under the control
personal use.
of others.
E.g. files, documents.
E.g. health information.
Information experienced by
Information directed to a
a person but outside her
person.
control.
E.g. email, IM.
E.g. books, websites browsed.
Jones 2006

7. Information is Fragmented
Across Collections
Boardman 2004

8. Current Research
Kelly 2006
Boardman 2004 Whittaker 1996
Gwizdka 2002
All Collections
Email
Jones 2005
Folders
Documents
Boardman 2004 Paper
Bruce 2004
Malone 1983
Bookmarks
Abrams 1998
Jones 2006

9. Information is Fragmented
Across Devices
Tungare 2006

10. Research Questions

11. 1. Using Multiple Devices for PIM
• How do devices affect information flows?
• Inter-relationships between devices
• Formation of groups of devices
• Attaining equilibrium in the information
ecosystem
• Custom strategies influenced by devices
• Device failures

12. Expected findings
• Hypothesis: The device is an important
consideration, which, in addition to the
specific collection, affects PIM practices.
• Finding(s): Exactly how a device (or group)
affects PIM
• E.g. why do people use their address book
on their phone, but not on their computer?

13. 2. Evolution of PIM Practices
• Natural transitions in life
• High school to college
• Grad school to industry
• Is there a pattern of stages in which
information management practices change
in response to these transitions?
• How is equilibrium achieved?

14. Expected findings
• Hypothesis: There is a pattern in which
users develop strategies for PIM.
• This pattern can be reified and made
known to the next set of users who are
going to make similar transitions.
• Tool designers can take these patterns into
account.

15. Methodology

16. Studying PIM
• PIM is highly individualized & contextual
• Tools are just the surface
• Deeper understanding needed
• Approaches: browsing versus searchingTeevan 2004
• Personalities: filers versus pilers Malone 1983

17. Study 1: PIM & Multiple Devices
• Survey + Interviews
• What activities do you perform on each
device?
• What data do you keep on each device?
• What pairs of devices do you keep
synchronized?
• What failures have you encountered?

18. Study 2: PIM over time
• Longitudinal study of users across natural
transitions in life
• Recruited while still in “pre-” phase
• Graduating students moving to industry
• Undergrads continuing to grad school
• Spot interviews, longer stories,
observation, diary studies
[Details are still being worked out.]

19. Expected Contributions

20. An understanding of ...
• how PIM practices are influenced by devices.
• how PIM practices change over time.
• how custom strategies develop.
• what parameters affect the evolution of
these practices, and in what way.

21. Significance
• Implications from findings will inform the
design of new tools & applications
• New devices designed to integrate better
into a user’s existing information
environment
• A clearer understanding of users’
frustration at the current state-of-the-art in
multi-device PIM.

22. Summary
• PIM is an interesting area in HCI where a
deeper understanding of users’ practices
would benefit lots of users.
• Open questions in PIM research include
understanding how people use multiple
devices for information management & how
their strategies evolve over time.
• (Hopefully,) my work will help answer these
and design future devices and apps better.

23. Your feedback is appreciated!
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manas.tungare.name/publications
manas@tungare.name