Exploring Email Triage: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Despite the centrality of email in the daily routines of knowledge workers, fundamental aspects of its usage are still poorly understood. We are particularly interested in understanding one aspect of email management, email triage, the process of going through unhandled email and deciding what to do with them. In this paper we investigate the email triage behavior by presenting interview and survey results that characterize user behavior and needs. The results highlight current challenges and enhance our understanding of how the triage process can be more effectively supported.