Designing remail: reinventing the email client through innovation and integration

ABSTRACT

The Remail design team defined a specification for an innovative and integrated email client. This design-lead effort tackled three key problems that email researchers have discovered: lack of context, co-opting of email, and keeping track of too many things. Based on earlier design and research explorations, we conceived of a client from the ground up that attacked these problems in an integrated fashion. Our solutions were based on three constructs: showing message context, marking email, and selective display. A small team of programmers implemented much of the design in a functional prototype. This experimental client continues to allow researchers to expand and explore these concepts.

References

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Index Terms

• Computing methodologies

  • Artificial intelligence

    • Philosophical/theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence

      • Cognitive science

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • Interaction paradigms

      • Graphical user interfaces

  • Interaction design

    • Interaction design process and methods

      • Interface design prototyping

      • User centered design

• Information systems

  • World Wide Web

    • Web applications

      • Internet communications tools

        • Email

• Software and its engineering

  • Software notations and tools

    • Development frameworks and environments

      • Integrated and visual development environments