Human Interrupt Description Language and Group-Optimal Interrupt Policy

Status

• I’ve submitted this as a proposal for a Senior Capstone project for the CS Major at UC Davis.
• This will probably remain on the back burner unless someone is excited to collaborate and drive the project :)

Proposal

Background: Computing systems have well-defined frameworks for handling interrupts - events that require immediate attention and temporarily pause normal execution. While extensive research exists on computer interrupt handling, human interruption management remains largely ad-hoc. Recent work in psychology has proposed “interrupt science” as an emerging field studying how interruptions affect human cognition, productivity, and well-being. This project aims to bridge the gap between computational interrupt handling and human interrupt management by creating formal tools for understanding and optimizing human interruptions in group settings.

Description: The project develops three core components:

1. Human Interrupt Description Language (HIDL):

   • A formal language for describing human interruptions and their handling
   • Syntax for interrupt types, priorities, and handling policies
   • Framework for modeling interrupt-driven context switching costs

2. Multi-Agent Simulation Framework:

   • Simulation environment modeling multiple agents with different interrupt policies
   • Implementation of various interrupt handling strategies
   • Metrics tracking for task completion and context switching overhead

3. Policy Analysis:

   • Analysis of simulation results to identify effective policies
   • Consideration of group dynamics and collective productivity
   • Visualization of interrupt patterns and their effects

Deliverables:

1. Specification of the interrupt description language with examples
2. Implementation of the simulation framework
3. Analysis tools for evaluating different interrupt policies
4. Documentation and final report with findings

Required Skills:

• Strong programming fundamentals
• Experience with simulation and modeling
• Interest in algorithms and language design
• Knowledge of data structures
• Basic understanding of human-computer interaction concepts

Contact: Bi-weekly meetings for progress updates and direction

This project combines elements of language design, multi-agent simulation, and algorithm development to create novel tools for understanding human interrupt management in group settings.