The pile of least effort: supporting lived document management practices

This paper outlines early results from ethnographic research examining the ways people organise and manage their personal documents in an office, with a focus on people who engage in piling. The study encompassed in- depth interview data, questionnaire data and explorations of technology prototypes with participants. We build upon existing personal information management (PIM) research and develop a framework to encompass the real world of paper document management. In this paper, we highlight the challenges of being a piler, and suggest how they might be remedied or alleviated through design considerations for future support systems.