New smartphone app reduces information overload

Published 14 June 2011 
Researchers have developed a new smartphone application to avoid information overload by processing large quantities of data in real time and presenting it in user friendly clusters; the software is the first to allow a user to make real time adjustments to how information is displayed on a phone as it is acutely "aware" of how cluttered the screen is; the new application can be used in a wide array of instances including natural disasters, monitoring multiple hospital patient's heart levels, and mapping the locations of first responders deployed during an emergency

Researchers have developed a new smartphone application to specifically avoid information overload by processing large quantities of data in real time and presenting it in user friendly clusters.

Dr. Mohamed Gaber, of the University of Portsmouth’s School of Computing, and his team of researchers from Monash University say their new application can be used in a wide array of instances including natural disasters, monitoring multiple hospital patient’s heart levels, and mapping the locations of first responders deployed during an emergency.

“This is the first time anyone has managed to develop a clutter-aware visualization for mobile data mining that automatically considers the amount of information presented on screen and dynamically adjusts the way this information is presented to avoid confusion and enhance ease of understanding,” explained Dr. Gaber. Dr. Gaber said that he designed the software in response to the increasing use of smartphones and the rapid growth in computational power. In particular, his application was specifically created to present information clearly and reduce overload.

“The need for an application that knows when information overload is a threat is very important,” he said. 
“A lot of work has gone into making the application useable and interactive so it can be adjusted to people’s abilities to manage visual information - some people can cope with a lot more than others, but this development means the application is truly universal, by being adaptive in real-time to the user’s needs. Gaber’s software is the first to allow a user to make real time adjustments to how information is actually displayed on a phone as it is acutely “aware” of how cluttered the screen is.

Dr. Gaber said, “We want to give people the choice of what degree of clutter is tolerable in any given situation and to give them the power to adapt their screen images dynamically as a situation or location unfolds, depending on their preferences.” For instance, a screen can become quickly cluttered during a major natural disaster where trouble zones are quickly popping up on screen across a wide area.

The application can also be switched to an audio only alert, where an alert will sound when a new cluster or existing one grows, so users can continue to be alerted when they are driving or occupied. The application has a fully functional prototype and Dr. Gaber will be publishing an extended version of his findings in the Journal of Computer and System Sciences.