Workers increasingly need to track important business activities while on the go and initiatives like ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) are helping by making devices to the mobile workforce. But the smaller tablet and smartphone form factors dictate a new user experience. Providing a meaningful mobile experience means much more than rolling out a mobile app. New “twitter-like” application activity streams represent a breakthrough because these streams can keep workers aware of updates while on the go. However, activity streams represent the next major source of information overload, since unmitigated streams create a ‘stream of unconsciousness’ that is impossible to follow. Automated filtering and context-aware technology provide some hope, but these technologies are still in their infancy. This presentation looks at the promise, as well as the issues provided by activity streams, and it proposes practical strategies for providing ‘anytime, anywhere’ activity updates in a secure and scale-able environment.

1. Can Activity
Streams
Free Us From
The Office?
The Real Scoop on
on Mobile Activity Streams
David Lavenda
© 2013 by harmon.ie All rights reserved

2. 2
David Lavenda
harmon.ie, VP Product Strategy
Fast Company Contributor
Information Overload Researcher
davidl@harmon.ie
dlavenda
dlavenda
www.slideshare.net/dlavenda
http://www.fastcompany.com/user/david‐lavenda

3. Information Overload
in The Mobile Enterprise

4. Is Information
Overload New?
Source: Standage, Tom, The Victorian Internet

5. What is the
Information
Overload
Problem?

6. 0
5
10
15
20
25
1985‐1994 2000‐2009
Perceived Causes of Information Overload
Email / CMCS Internet / News Digital Content Traditional Content Decision inputs
Personal Communications Short Attention Span Finding information Org structure changes
N=82 Source: D. Lavenda research
What’s Causing the Problem?

7. Why is this
important

8. 47%of respondents said
information collection
distracts them from their
main responsibilities
Source: Reuters Survey, “Dying for Information”
http://old.cni.org/regconfs/1997/ukoln‐content/repor~13.html

9. 1
3
believe that
important decisions were
Nearly
delayed and adversely affected
due to much information
Source: Reuters Survey, “Dying for Information”
http://old.cni.org/regconfs/1997/ukoln‐content/repor~13.html

10. 2
3
of managers believe
information overload causes
loss of job satisfaction
Source: Reuters Survey, “Dying for Information”
http://old.cni.org/regconfs/1997/ukoln‐content/repor~13.html

11. 2
3
believe it
damaged personal relationships
Source: Reuters Survey, “Dying for Information”
http://old.cni.org/regconfs/1997/ukoln‐content/repor~13.html

12. 1
3
believe it had
damaged their health
Source: Reuters Survey, “Dying for Information”
http://old.cni.org/regconfs/1997/ukoln‐content/repor~13.html

13. Why is it
Different
This time

14. Cloud Mobile Social Standards Smart sensors
Technology

15. We are compelled to respond
to requests at all times

16. Inability to separate work
and leisure

17. No downtime
Unable to recover from work

18. We have a perception of
loss of control

19. mobility is
awful
YUCK!!
mobility is
great
WOW!

20. Can Activity Streams
Free us from
Information
Overload?

21. Social Network Activity Streams

22. Activity Streams
a list of (recent) events about a person, group, or topic.
A person ‘follows’ other people or applications to track
relevant activities.
John G. is following a new colleague, Adrian S.

23. Activity Streams
Angela Cooper shared a picture
a list of (recent) events about a person, group, or topic.
A person ‘follows’ other people or applications to track
relevant activities.

24. Activity Streams
Bob Mullins closed a deal with Acme for $300K.
a list of (recent) events about a person, group, or topic.
A person ‘follows’ other people or applications to track
relevant activities.

25. Activity Streams
Deborah Nielsen updated the document
“Proposal for Zimble.docx”
a list of (recent) events about a person, group, or topic.
A person ‘follows’ other people or applications to track
relevant activities.

26. Email Activity Streams
Why Are
Activity
Streams
Different?

27. Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/1825915/email‐crushing‐us‐can‐activity‐streams‐free‐us

28. Enterprise
Activity Streams

29. Activity Streams Present
New Challenges

30. Each Application Produces an Activity Stream

31. Each Activity Stream Tells Only Part of the Story

32. 32
Some Applications Don’t
Produce Streams

33. Are We Back to
Square One ?
Produce Streams

34. Reeling in
information
overload

35. http://www.fastcompany.com/3002467/7‐time‐proven‐strategies‐dealing‐information‐overload
No need toNo need to
Reinvent the
Wheel
Reinvent the
Wheel

36. Two Time‐Proven Strategies
for Dealing With
Information overload

37. Aggregation
(Queuing)

39. But Aggregation Can Create a
‘Stream of Unconsciousness’

40. Context (Filtering)
Context means relevance

41. Context
• Location
• Time
• Social Interactions
• Interests (topics)
• History
• Sensors
• Image Recognition
• Emotion and Sentiment

42. Location

43. Time

44. Social Interactions

45. Social Interactions

46. History / Topics of Interest

47. Image Recognition ‐ Consumer Application

48. Image Recognition

49. Sensors

50. Sensors

51. Emotion and Sentiment
Smart‐scroll
Smart‐pause

52. The Future Enterprise
Source: http://funnydank.com/funny‐pictures‐animals‐funny‐animals‐pictures‐animals‐of‐the‐heroes

53. 54
David Lavenda
harmon.ie, VP Product Strategy
Fast Company Contributor
Information Overload Researcher
davidl@harmon.ie
dlavenda
dlavenda
www.slideshare.net/dlavenda
http://www.fastcompany.com/user/david‐lavenda