The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate providing computer users with efficient access to electronic notifications while minimizing disruption in the context of ongoing tasks. A notification system provides visual information heralds that provide summarizations of notifications to users. An information controller considers the importance or urgency of content and a user's current and/or recent activities in decisions about the rendering and positioning of the information herald on a display screen or screens in order to facilitate user processing of the summarized notifications with minimal disruption to ongoing tasks.