Can I Have Your Attention? Implications of the Research on Distractions and Multitasking for Reference Librarians

The media have identified the last decade as “the age of distraction.” People today find it harder to work on long, sustained tasks because distractions are eroding their attention span, fostering a culture of discontinuity. Fields as diverse as psychology, business, education, human-computer interaction, and communication studies have produced a wealth of studies on interruptions, distractions, and multitasking–research that has important implications for reference librarians. The nature of our jobs invites interruptions by the public, requires familiarity with the latest technology, stimulates curiosity about a broad range of subjects, and demands adeptness at multitasking–all factors which can atomize attention

Self-Control in Cyberspace: Applying Dual Systems Theory to a Review of Digital Self-Control Tools

Many people struggle to control their use of digital devices. However, our understanding of the design mechanisms that support user self-control remains limited. In this paper, we make two contributions to HCI research in this space: first, we analyse 367 apps and browser extensions from the Google Play, Chrome Web, and Apple App stores to identify common core design features and intervention strategies afforded by current tools for digital self-control. Second, we adapt and apply an integrative dual systems model of self-regulation as a framework for organising and evaluating the design features found. Our analysis aims to help the design of better tools in two ways: (i) by identifying how, through a well-established model of self-regulation, current tools overlap and differ in how they support self-control; and (ii) by using the model to reveal underexplored cognitive mechanisms that could aid the design of new tools.Comment: 11.5 pages (excl. references), 6 figures, 1 tabl

The Government Open Concept Office: A Study of Physical Design on Public Sector Office Communication

Open concept designs have become common in private office environments, but they are a recent adoption in the public sector. Despite an overwhelming number of studies refuting the designs effectiveness, the Government of Canada is adopting this approach for public servants with the implementation of its "Workplace 2.0" initiative. Through the use of semi-structured interviews and surveys with public servants who now occupy a Workplace 2.0 office, the aim of this study is to determine whether a change in the built environment of a public service office space has affected how employees communicate at work. This thesis found that open concept offices do not inherently lead to increased productivity or correspond to desired changes in office structure and communication practices. Instead, these designs may help sustain the pre-existing bureaucratic environment, while ostensibly trying to eradicate it with the production of new office spaces

The Book of Acoustics

The Book of Acoustics was created in collaboration with leading acousticians, neuroscientists and designers. It explores the science of sound and provides guidance for designing with acoustics. Complete with facts, figures, diagrams and expert insight, it is the ideal starting point for architectural and interior design projects and sheds light on the interplay between engineering and aesthetics

Design and evaluation of a conversational agent to support focused knowledge work

The rise of social networks and the increase of notifications we receive on our phones has had a negative impact on the way people work. Distractions have become a more serious problem on such times when productivity is the center of attention of many project managers. This project has analyzed this issue, and proposed a modern and flexible solution based on a conversational agent. It has implemented and evaluated a mobile application designed to support focused work, obtaining results that suggest the validation and effectiveness of a work assistant to increase productivity and well-being

Assessing the Impact of Organizational Internet and Email Monitoring Policy on Australian Employees

Monitoring of Internet and email usage within the organisation aims to maintain workers’ productivity, minimise time inefficiency and misuse of resources. Whilst moderate monitoring may control resource efficiency, excessive monitoring may lead to declines in organizational effectiveness and breaches of business ethics. This research will focus on assessing the impact of organizational Internet and email monitoring on employees’ job satisfaction and productivity. Results identified that employees’ perception of Internet and email usage restrictions significantly impacts their satisfaction and perceived productivity. Consequently, findings contribute to a greater understanding of the impact of monitoring thus enabling optimum monitoring to be implemented within the workplace

Computer screenshot classification for boosting ADHD productivity in a VR environment

Individuals with ADHD face significant challenges in their daily lives due to difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These challenges are especially pronounced in the workplace or educational settings, where the ability to sustain attention and manage time effectively is crucial for success. Virtual reality (VR) software has emerged as a promising tool for improving productivity in individuals with ADHD. However, the effectiveness of such software depends on the identification of potential distractions and timely intervention. The proposed computer screenshot classification approach addresses this need by providing a means for identifying and analyzing potential distractions within VR software. By integrating Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), the proposed approach can accurately classify screenshots and extract features, facilitating the identification of distractions and enabling timely intervention to minimize their impact on productivity. The implications of this research are significant, as ADHD affects a substantial portion of the population and has a significant impact on productivity and quality of life. By providing a novel approach for studying, detecting, and enhancing productivity, this research has the potential to improve outcomes for individuals with ADHD and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of workplaces and educational settings. Moreover, the proposed approach holds promise for wider applicability to other productivity studies involving computer users, where the classification of screenshots and feature extraction play a crucial role in discerning behavioral patterns.Les persones amb TDAH s’enfronten a reptes importants en la seva vida diària a causa de les dificultats d’atenció, hiperactivitat i impulsivitat. Aquests reptes són especialment pronunciats al lloc de treball o en entorns educatius, on la capacitat de mantenir l’atenció i gestionar el temps de manera eficaç és crucial per a l’èxit. El software de realitat virtual (RV) s’ha revelat com a eina prometedora per millorar la productivitat de les persones amb TDAH. Tanmateix, l’eficàcia del software esmentat depèn de la identificació de distraccions potencials i de la intervenció oportuna. L’enfocament de classificació de captures de pantalla d’ordinador proposat aborda aquesta necessitat proporcionant un mitjà per identificar i analitzar les distraccions potencials dins del programari de RV. Mitjançant la integració de xarxes neuronals convolucionals (CNN), el reconeixement òptic de caràcters (OCR) i el processament del llenguatge natural (NLP), l’enfocament proposat pot classificar amb precisió les captures de pantalla i extreure’n característiques, facilitant la identificació de les distraccions i permetent una intervenció oportuna per minimitzar-ne l’impacte en la productivitat. Les implicacions d’aquesta investigació són importants, ja que el TDAH afecta una part substancial de la població i té un impacte significatiu a la productivitat i la qualitat de vida. En proporcionar un enfocament nou per estudiar, detectar i millorar la productivitat, aquesta investigació té el potencial de millorar els resultats per a les persones amb TDAH i augmentar l’eficiència i l’eficàcia dels llocs de treball i els entorns educatius. A més, l’enfocament proposat promet una aplicabilitat més gran a altres estudis de productivitat en què participin usuaris d’ordinadors, en què la classificació de captures de pantalla i l’extracció de característiques tenen un paper crucial a l’hora de discernir patrons de comportament