Conceptualizing Interpersonal Interruption Management: A Theoretical Framework and Research Program

Previous research exploring interpersonal-technology-mediated interruptions has focused on understanding how the knowledge of an individual´s local context can be utilized to reduce unwanted intrusions by employing sensor and agent technology to detect and manage their interruptions. However, this approach has produced limited benefit for users because it fails to take into account who the interruption is from or what it is about. To address this deficiency a theoretical framework and associated research program is presented to provide a fresh perspective on design of interruption management tools.