Adaptive Notification Interrupts Based on User Busyness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication notification systems employ an all or nothing approach, either blocking all notifications or providing them all, which can be distracting and reduce productivity, as they do not consider the user's busyness or the context of the notification.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses adaptive interrupts to selectively notify users based on their busyness and the importance of the notification, by intercepting and prioritizing notifications using contextual information and activity scores, allowing only notifications that meet a threshold to interrupt the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all notifications are provided to the user, then communication information is fully delivered, but user productivity decreases due to distractions
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different notification delivery rules to different notifications based on their characteristics. Important notifications (from key contacts, urgent matters) are delivered even during busy periods, while less important notifications are deferred. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by ensuring critical information is not lost while minimizing distractions to maintain productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on the user's current state (busy vs. available). When the user is detected as busy, the system automatically modifies notification delivery by deferring non-urgent notifications. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to balance information delivery with productivity maintenance based on real-time conditions.
2Productivity
If all notifications are blocked, then user productivity is maintained, but important communication information is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system identifies and prioritizes important notifications based on criteria such as sender importance, message urgency, and user preferences. These high-priority notifications are exempted from the general blocking rule and delivered even when the user is busy. This selective approach ensures productivity is maintained while critical information is not lost.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors user responses and notification outcomes to learn which notifications are important. By analyzing user behavior patterns and feedback, the system refines its importance assessment, ensuring that blocking decisions do not prevent delivery of truly important communications while maintaining productivity benefits.
3Device complexity
If notifications are provided without context assessment, then simple notification delivery is maintained, but notification relevance to user needs decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of notification importance and user availability before delivering notifications. By evaluating contextual factors in advance (message urgency, sender priority, user current state), the system determines the optimal delivery timing. This preliminary action enables adaptive notification delivery without requiring complex real-time decision-making, balancing system complexity with adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for implementing a machine learning system for using adaptive interrupts to control notifications to a user. In at least one embodiment, a computer-implemented method for adaptively interrupting a user with communication notifications at an information handling system is disclosed, including: receiving a communication for a user at the information handling system; intercepting a notification relating to the received communication; assessing a degree of importance of the notification using contextual information associated with the notification; assessing a degree of busyness of the user at the information handling system by actively monitoring interactions between the user and the information handling system; and selectively interrupting the user with the notification based on the busyness of the user at the information handling system and the degree of importance of the notification.