The pile is a new element of the desktop user interface metaphor, designed to support the casual organization of documents. An interface design based on the pile concept suggested uses of content awareness for describing, organizing, and filing textual documents. We describe a prototype implementation of these capabilities, and give a detailed example of how they might appear to the user. We believe the system demonstrates how content awareness can be not only used in a computer filing system, but made an integral part of the user's experience.

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A central challenge in the design of multimedia databases is integrating information from different media sources while reducing the cognitive load imposed on users by the tasks of learning and operating the interface. In light of results from a prototype multimedia project developed at Apple, we believe that an agent-style interface addresses this challenge in several ways. This paper discusses techniques for achieving media integration and details the use of interface agents in facilitating 'navigation', enhancing content through point of view, and supporting users in a variety of instrumental and experiential tasks.