A Future for E-mail

Monday, April 15

The purpose of this workshop is to address the future of e-mail. As the number of e-mail users and the number and type of messages continue to increase, how will people manage the information overload? What if technologies such as agents aren't the answer? What impact will this rapidly expanding mode of communication have on productivity? Other topics to be discussed include issues of privacy and trust, integration of e-mail and the web, e-mail standardization, mailing lists and e-mail etiquette, and realistic e-mail usability testing. The focus of this workshop is on a practical application of HCI research and its potential impact on the future of one of the most prevalent software applications in use today.

Participants are invited to submit a two-page position statement describing relevant experience and ideas on this topic. Workshop participants will be selected based on these statements, with a focus on diverse backgrounds, including researchers as well as people involved in commercial software development. Statements can focus on areas including (but not limited to) technologies, design, or evaluation. Statements should include a brief biography of the participant. Position statements will be used to draw up a more detailed program for the workshop, which will be distributed beforehand to participants along with the position papers.

The workshop will consist of interactive discussion groups drawing on the experiences of organizers and participants. Participatory discussion groups will brainstorm these questions and identify directions for future work in this area. It will conclude with plans to publish the results of this workshop.

This one-day workshop is limited to 15 participants.

Contact

Steven Pemberton
CWI
Kruislaan 413
1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands 
E-mail: Steven.Pemberton@cwi.nl
Tel: +31-20-592 4138
Fax: +31-20-592 4119