Overview

My personal computer is an organizing system that contains a lot of folders and files of different kinds. Even though, the search feature reduces the need for organizing files in my personal computer, it does not replace it entirely. Organizing my personal computer can simplify storing, retrieving and interacting with resources. Not only it is much easier to find what I am looking for in a well-organized computer, but also it is visually pleasing.

What resources are being used?

The scope of my organizing system includes all the files, folders, programs and operating system in the computer but it does not include external hard drives, flash drives, or content on the internet, unless files are transferred from those to the personal computer, in which case, those files will become part of the organizing system. All of the resources are digital, and resources are continually added to this organizing system. Some of the resources may need to be deleted periodically. Some of the resources are unique (i.e. text files that I created, photographs that I have taken), while some of them are not (i.e. music files that are purchased online).

Why are the resources organized?

I use my computer several hours each day for various purposes from checking emails, to writing papers, to paying bills. A personal computer is an organizing system that supports many different interactions such as creating, maintaining, searching, accessing, modifying and sharing. These interactions may depend on the types of resources (files) in the organizing system.  This organizing system satisfies personal goals.

How much are the resources organized?

The extent to which my personal computer is being organized depends on my needs and also the amount of data that I have/will have on my computer. The organizing principle may depend on both my goal and the type of file that is being organized. Depending on my goal, it may be more helpful for me  to organize my files by date or by name. Similarly, it can be more useful to organize some types of files (i.e. picture files) by date and some others (i.e. music files) by name.

The level of granularity the user (myself) chooses for the organizing system mainly depends on their organizing tendencies. I can choose to pile all my files on the desktop and not put them in folders, or I may decide to meticulously organize every resource in an appropriate folder. Lower level of granularity will increase recall, but reduce precision. If I put all the documents related to info- 202 in a general folder, it will be more difficult to retrieve a specific document. I even may need to rely on other organizing principles to find the document, i.e. sorting by creation date. But if I use appropriate subfolders within info-202 folder, I can more precisely locate the document I am looking for.

When are the resources organized?

Organization can be imposed on resources at various times. Files can be organized as soon as they are created. Sometimes the files are transferred from outside; so, they can be organized after becoming part of the collection. The files can be modified, renamed, duplicated, or be interacted with in some other way; organization may also be imposed on them after such changes.

Who does the organizing?

As the owner and user of my personal computer I do most of the organizing in this organizing system. The operating systems [creators] also play a role in organizing my personal computer. For example mac has some predefined folders for downloads, pictures, music, movies, etc. Also, the photos that I take using my phone, are automatically added to iPhoto app through cloud. Therefore, my interactions with these resources will be limited by the properties of the app.)

Other consideration

The organizing decisions can later affect the types of interactions in an organizing system. A more granular organization will encourage more accessing type interactions, while a less granular organization will result in more searching type interactions.