Management of time and commitments is a central problem for high-discretion employees in the information society. A variety of conventions have evolved for the representation of time in calendars, diaries, and project management packages. Yet current time management products remain very close to paper-based conventions with respect to their support for visualisation of scheduling problems; indeed their displays may be even more restrictive than the paper diary. We report an exploratory study aiming at "thinking outside the box" of current computerised diaries by an empirical investigation in which a heterogeneous sample of white-collar workers generated diagrammatical representations of their time and commitments. Design issues are raised for diagrammatic representations that can empower the user in such an environment.
['Stuart Clink', 'Julian Newman']
Recording the Future: Some Diagrammatic Aspects of Time Management