Download Organizer: an app for adding organisation to dump collections

We have three basic forms of information collections

  • Project collections: formed to support work on a project, contain project
    related files of diverse file formats organised in elaborated organizations [1, p 139].
  • Reference collections: include information items of usually one format, have
    a fairly flat organizational structure and are organised by metadata or key
    (time, name, topic) [1, p 139] (e.g. a collection of academic literature, a collection of music files).

  • Dump collections: are formed of arbitrary information items and usually
    consist of information that cannot be classified in the above collections [2]. The placement is usually of a temporary nature and items from them
    are sometimes deleted or renamed and moved to appropriate locations once their
    role is determined.But often they just remain untouched and forgotten.

Frequent dump collections are downloads folder and desktop folder. The downloads folder can be easily organised by e.g. creation time. But the Download Organiser (£2.99) pushes things further as it can:

  • automatically organise downloads by websites
  • organise based on user defined filters (file type, size, source)
  • open, preview files and open a containing folder
  • rename files from notifications when they are downloaded

It is an interesting idea on how to organise semi-automatically acquired files drawn form the considerate research on automatically organised email based on various criteria [3].

[1] W. Jones. Keeping Found Things Found: The Study and Practice of Personal
Information Management. Morgan Kaufman, Burlington, MA, 2008.

[2] A. Kamaruddin, N. Admodisastro, and A. Dix. Before and after: User’s knowledge maturity within personal information management. International Journal
of Scientific & Engineering Research, 4, Issue 5, May 2013.

[3] M. Kljun, J. Mariani, A. Dix. Transference of PIM Research Prototype Concepts to the Mainstream: Successes or Failures Interacting with Computers, Oxford University Press. First published online: November 12, 2013