Exploiting context histories: A cross-tool and cross-device approach to reduce compartmentalization when going back

Abstract

We propose an approach to support knowledge workers in going back to previously used information. This is achieved by exploiting usage context from interacting in ubiquitous computing environments and while being on the road. Going back includes information re-use in general as well as the resumption of open activity threads in order to proceed working on them. We consider personal information to go back to as well as information that has been shared in group contexts and present an implementation, the ContextDrive, in support of our approach. It consists of a distributed infrastructure and tools to acquire usage context and of a timeline-based search interface leveraging this context information in supporting users to go back.