SCC 402 ADVANCED HUMAN

COMPUTER INTERACTION

OVERLOAD, ADOPTION,
BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
CORINA SAS

OTHER RELEVANT WORK

Overload:
Technology overload (Karr-Wisniewski & Lu, 2010)
Information overload (Eppler & Mengis, 2004)
Cognitive overload (Kirsh,2000)
Technology adoption and diffusion
Technology acceptance model (Davis,1989)
Diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers, 1962)
Behaviour change
Behaviour change model (Fogg, 2009)
Transtheoretical model of behaviour change (Prochaska &
Velicer, 1997))
HCI work on behaviour change in addictions

TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD
Technology overload - additional technology crowd out
productivity instead of enhancing it

Karr-Wisniewski, P., & Lu, Y. (2010). When more is too much:

Operationalizing technology overload and exploring its
impact on knowledge worker productivity. Computers in
Human Behavior, 26(5), 1061-1072.

TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD
Technology overload - additional technology crowd out
productivity instead of enhancing it
System feature overload

Karr-Wisniewski, P., & Lu, Y. (2010). When more is too much:

Operationalizing technology overload and exploring its
impact on knowledge worker productivity. Computers in
Human Behavior, 26(5), 1061-1072.

TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD
Technology overload - additional technology crowd out
productivity instead of enhancing it
System feature overload
Communication overload

Yerkes RM, Dodson JD (1908). "The relation of strength of

stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation". Journal of Comparative
Neurology and Psychology. 18: 459482.

TECHNOLOGY OVERLOAD
Technology overload - additional technology crowd out
productivity instead of enhancing it
System feature overload
Communication overload
Information overload

Karr-Wisniewski, P., & Lu, Y. (2010). When more is too much:

Operationalizing technology overload and exploring its
impact on knowledge worker productivity. Computers in
Human Behavior, 26(5), 1061-1072.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Too much information
Performance decision making

Eppler, M. J., & Mengis, J. (2004). The concept of information overload: A review of
literature from organization science, accounting, marketing, MIS, and related disciplines.
The information society, 20(5), 325-344.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

INFORMATION OVERLOAD
A conceptual framework to structure research on
information overload.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Information itself (quantity, frequency, intensity, and quality)
tasks or processes that need to be completed by a person,
team, or organization
person receiving, processing, or communicating information
organizational design (i.e., the formal and informal work
structures)
information technology that is used (and how it is used) in a
company)

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Information itself (quantity, frequency, intensity, and quality)
tasks or processes that need to be completed by a person,
team, or organization
person receiving, processing, or communicating information
organizational design (i.e., the formal and informal work
structures)
information technology that is used (and how it is used) in a
company)

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Information itself (quantity, frequency, intensity, and quality)
tasks or processes that need to be completed by a person,
team, or organization
person receiving, processing, or communicating information
organizational design (i.e., the formal and informal work
structures)
information technology that is used (and how it is used) in a
company)

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Information itself (quantity, frequency, intensity, and quality)
tasks or processes that need to be completed by a person,
team, or organization
person receiving, processing, or communicating information
organizational design (i.e., the formal and informal work
structures)
information technology that is used (and how it is used) in a
company)

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Information itself (quantity, frequency, intensity, and quality)
tasks or processes that need to be completed by a person,
team, or organization
person receiving, processing, or communicating information
organizational design (i.e., the formal and informal work
structures)
information technology that is used (and how it is used) in a
company)

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Information itself (quantity, frequency, intensity, and quality)
tasks or processes that need to be completed by a person,
team, or organization
person receiving, processing, or communicating information
organizational design (i.e., the formal and informal work
structures)
information technology that is used (and how it is used) in a
company)

Q: Which ones of the causes of information overload can be

best addressed by unplugging practices?

INFORMATION OVERLOAD: SYMPTOMS

Lack of general perspective

Cognitive stress
Increased tolerance to error
Low job satisfaction
Inability to use information to make a decision

allocation of less time to each input

disregard of low-priority inputs
shift the burden of overload to the other party of social
transaction
reduction of inputs by filtering devices
refusal of communication reception
creation of specialized institutions to absorb inputs that would
otherwise swamp the individual

INFORMATION OVERLOAD:
COUNTERMEASURES
How can we address the challenges of information
overload?

INFORMATION OVERLOAD:
COUNTERMEASURES
Information assure its high value, visualised,
compressed, aggregated, and trustworthy

INFORMATION OVERLOAD:
COUNTERMEASURES
Information assure its high value, visualised,
compressed, aggregated, and trustworthy
Individual training in information literacy, tools to
support time and information management skills

INFORMATION OVERLOAD:
COUNTERMEASURES
Information assure its high value, visualised,
compressed, aggregated, and trustworthy
Individual training in information literacy, tools to
support time and information management skills
Organisational design well defined tasks

INFORMATION OVERLOAD:
COUNTERMEASURES
Information assure its high value, visualised,
compressed, aggregated, and trustworthy
Individual training in information literacy, tools to
support time and information management skills
Organisational design well defined tasks
Process standardizing task procedures, tools for
facilitating collaboration and cognitive support

INFORMATION OVERLOAD:
COUNTERMEASURES
Information assure its high value, visualised,
compressed, aggregated, and trustworthy
Individual training in information literacy, tools to
support time and information management skills
Organisational design well defined tasks
Process standardizing task procedures, tools for
facilitating collaboration and cognitive support
Information technology automatic filtering of
information

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD
The amount of mental capacity required for intellectual tasks
Distraction/interruption in an environment saturatedvwith data
and technology
Everyone has so many tasks and obligations that multi-tasking
is our way of life. Information is relentlessly pushed at us, and
no matter how much we get we feel we need more, and of
better quality and focus. (Kirsh, 2000).
How can we reduce cognitive overload?

Kirsh, D. (2000). A few thoughts on cognitive overload.

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

too much information supply

too much information demand
the need to deal with multi-tasking and interruption
the inadequate workplace infrastructure to help reduce
metacognition

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

too much information supply

too much information demand
the need to deal with multi-tasking and interruption
the inadequate workplace infrastructure to help reduce
metacognition

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

too much information supply

too much information demand
the need to deal with multi-tasking and interruption
the inadequate workplace infrastructure to help reduce
metacognition

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

too much information supply

too much information demand
the need to deal with multi-tasking and interruption
the inadequate workplace infrastructure to help reduce
metacognition

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Approaches for mitigating the cost of notifications
deferring notifications to a more appropriate time
breakpoint: the moment between two meaningful units of
task

Okoshi, T., Ramos, J., Nozaki, H., Nakazawa, J., Dey, A. K., & Tokuda, H.
(2015, September). Reducing users' perceived mental effort due to
interruptive notifications in multi-device mobile environments. In
Proceedings of the 2015 ACM International Joint Conference on
Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (pp. 475-486). ACM.

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

Approaches for mitigating the cost of notifications
deferring notifications to a more appropriate time
breakpoint: the moment between two meaningful units of
task
mitigating the interruptive nature of notifications
change the modality of delivering the notification less
disruptive

Okoshi, T., Ramos, J., Nozaki, H., Nakazawa, J., Dey, A. K., & Tokuda, H.
(2015, September). Reducing users' perceived mental effort due to
interruptive notifications in multi-device mobile environments. In
Proceedings of the 2015 ACM International Joint Conference on
Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (pp. 475-486). ACM.

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: CAUSES

too much information supply

too much information demand
the need to deal with multi-tasking and interruption
the inadequate workplace infrastructure to help reduce
metacognition

COGNITIVE OVERLOAD: EXERCISE

What type of information is more relevant for
unplugging: pushed or pulled?
Why?
How can it be addressed?

TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL

Users acceptance and use of technology
Before, during or after development
Key aspects: Understanding how users intend to interact based on:
Perceived usefulness
Perceived ease of use
Attitudinal component: psychological states for accepting or
rejecting the use

TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL

Users acceptance and use of technology
Before, during or after development
Key aspects: Understanding how users intend to interact based on
Perceived usefulness
Perceived ease of use
Attitudinal component: psychological states for accepting or
rejecting the use
Example: adoption of tablet technology
before and after the introduction of the iPad.
Limitations?
It does not account for different types of
use of the adopted technology: habitual or self-aware

TAM: EXERCISE
Which aspect of technology acceptance model is better
supported by the existing unplugging tools?
Usefulness
Ease of use

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Explain how, why and at what rate innovations are
adopted by the population majority (Rogers, 1962)
Diffusion process: bell-shaped curve

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Explain how, why and at what rate innovations are
adopted by the population majority (Rogers, 1962)
Diffusion process: bell-shaped curve

Key aspects:
the innovation itself

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Explain how, why and at what rate innovations are
adopted by the population majority (Rogers, 1962)
Diffusion process: bell-shaped curve

Key aspects:
the innovation itself
adopters characteristics

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Explain how, why and at what rate innovations are
adopted by the population majority (Rogers, 1962)
Diffusion process: bell-shaped curve

Key aspects:
the innovation itself
adopters characteristics
characteristics of organisations

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Five stages of adoption process
Knowledge
Persuasion
Decision
Implementation
Confirmation

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Five stages of adoption process
Knowledge
Persuasion
Decision
Implementation
Confirmation
Example: Smartphone adoption

Limitations: it does not account for:

innovations becoming obsolete before full adoption
limited/discontinued usage of technology

DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION: EXERCISE

Which aspects of diffusion of innovation model are
better supported by the existing unplugging tools?
the tool itself
adopters characteristics
characteristics of organisation/content of use
At each stage in the adoption process you find
yourself?