Computational Models of User Multitasking

When users interact with computers and technology ‘in the wild’, multitasking is a practically ubiquitous part of their interactions. Human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers and practitioners have increasingly used computational models to better understand these multitasking behaviours and to build new interactive technologies that facilitate interaction and/or mitigate the problems that arise from multitasking and distraction. This chapter outlines three approaches for modelling: cognitive architectures, cognitive constraint modelling, and uncertainty modelling. These approaches are some of the most common and powerful approaches to computational models of user multitasking, and have complementary strengths. It draws on examples from several domains for which multitasking is a central component, giving a particular focus to in-car multitasking and driver distraction.