Message Management Device for Interruptibility Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing use of real-time communication tools in professional contexts often interrupts users, disrupting their concentration and potentially leading to negative impressions if messages are not immediately addressed, due to the immediate nature of these exchanges.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that intercept messages, estimate the user's interruptibility level and message importance, and process messages accordingly, allowing for automatic or semi-automatic handling of interruptions, presenting important messages to the user while minimizing distractions by generating responses or notifications when the user is not available.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If real-time communication tools are used to facilitate immediate exchanges, then communication efficiency is improved, but user concentration and current activity are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a message management system as an intermediary between the communication tool and the user. This intermediary evaluates incoming messages against the user's current activity level and only presents messages when appropriate, filtering out disruptive interruptions while maintaining communication efficiency through selective delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the parameter of message delivery based on the user's activity level. When the user is engaged in concentrated activity, the system changes the delivery parameter to suppress interruptions. When the user becomes available, the parameter changes to allow message delivery, thus adapting communication behavior to user state.
2Loss of time
If messages are immediately presented to the user, then response time is reduced, but cognitive resource switching increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of incoming messages before presenting them to the user. It pre-assesses whether a message warrants interruption based on the user's current activity level, and only then presents the message. This preliminary action filters out unnecessary interruptions while ensuring important messages are still responded to promptly when appropriate.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the user is made unavailable to avoid interruptions, then concentration is maintained, but message delivery reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its behavior based on real-time assessment of user availability. When the user is engaged in concentrated activity, the system suppresses interruptions. When the user becomes available, the system immediately presents pending messages. This dynamic adaptation maintains both concentration and message delivery reliability through continuous state monitoring and responsive behavior adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment relates to a message management method comprising an interception process for intercepting a first message sent to a device of a user; an estimation process for estimating a level referred to as the “user interruptibility level” representing the extent to which the user can be interrupted in their current activity; an estimation process for estimating a level of importance of the first message; and a processing process for processing the first message as a function of the user interruptibility level and of the importance level of the first message.