Showing papers in "International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction in 2014"
TL;DR: Findings are reported from an empirical mobile study investigating how tourists acquire knowledge about an unfamiliar urban environment through AR browsers, and a framework is developed that shifts the perspective towards a more thorough understanding of the overall design space for such interfaces.
Abstract: Today, exposure to new and unfamiliar environments is a necessary part of daily life. Effective communication of location-based information through location-based services has become a key concern for cartographers, geographers, human-computer interaction and professional designers alike. Recently, much attention was directed towards Augmented Reality (AR) interfaces. Current research, however, focuses primarily on computer vision and tracking, or investigates the needs of urban residents, already familiar with their environment. Adopting a user-centred design approach, this paper reports findings from an empirical mobile study investigating how tourists acquire knowledge about an unfamiliar urban environment through AR browsers. Qualitative and quantitative data was used in the development of a framework that shifts the perspective towards a more thorough understanding of the overall design space for such interfaces. The authors analysis provides a frame of reference for the design and evaluation of mobile AR interfaces. The authors demonstrate the application of the framework with respect to optimization of current design of AR.
72 citations
TL;DR: The authors reflect on their experience of adopting and adapting the PICTIVE Plastic Interface for Collaborative Technology Initiatives through Video Exploration participatory design approach Muller, 1992 to support effective design with and for their special needs user group, reflect on participants' views of being part of the process, and discuss the design themes identified via their PD activities.
Abstract: In the UK, 20% of people aged 75 years and over are living with sight loss and age-related macular degeneration AMD is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK, impacting nearly 10% of those over 80; regrettably, these figures are expected to increase in coming decades as the population ages RNIB, 2012. This paper reports on the authors' design activities conducted for the purpose of informing the development of an assistive self-monitoring, ability-reactive technology SMART for older adults with AMD. The authors reflect on their experience of adopting and adapting the PICTIVE Plastic Interface for Collaborative Technology Initiatives through Video Exploration participatory design approach Muller, 1992 to support effective design with and for their special needs user group, reflect on participants' views of being part of the process, and discuss the design themes identified via their PD activities.
16 citations
TL;DR: The case for using mobile devices as learning support tools is explored, suggesting that research findings support this, and benefits through app availability, portability, sensing and multi-touch capabilities, and their use as mainstream and personal devices are shown.
Abstract: Mobile devices are often promoted by the media as being able to offer great benefits for users with special educational needs by supporting and enabling learning. However, there is a strong call from the research community for more evidence-based solutions in the field of Assistive Technologies (AT), so there is a need to carefully consider evidence from existing research. This paper presents results from a large-scale interdisciplinary literature review on assistive technologies, exploring the case for using mobile devices as learning support tools. The review suggests that research findings support this, showing benefits through app availability, portability, sensing and multi-touch capabilities, and their use as mainstream and personal devices. However, cautions can also be found, including needing to consider individuals' specific needs and desires and the constraints and practices of the educational contexts they are situated in.
13 citations
TL;DR: A game that takes advantage of the user's smartphone itself as a field of play to deduce how well a user knows where he can find his applications, and thus how well he can build a mental model of his smartphone launcher menu.
Abstract: With a growing number of mobile applications available on application stores and the improved capabilities of smartphones, people download more applications to their devices. Researchers began to leverage this momentum for distributing applications to conduct studies on end-users' devices. This paper grounds the approach of research through the application store in the theory of quasi-experimental design. Further, with people having more applications installed, finding applications quickly when they need them can become a time-consuming issue that impacts user experience. This paper presents our approach to improve future design of smartphone launcher menus. The authors present our approach of combining research through the app store with the idea of studying people's smartphones as the apparatus themselves. Therefore the authors designed a game that takes advantage of the user's smartphone itself as a field of play. By timing a simple visual search task for an icon, the authors aim to deduce how well a user knows where he can find his applications, and thus how well he can build a mental model of his smartphone launcher menu. The authors introduce our approach, present the game rappidly that serves as a vehicle of our research question, and discuss open challenges and future work.
11 citations
TL;DR: A location-based game for learning history embedded in a pedagogical scenario based on collaborative mobile learning is designed, deployed and analysed to explore the properties of such games, and how they are played out in practice.
Abstract: Location-based games are believed to be one promising way to exploit the educational potential of mobile technology. In such games, the physical and cultural surroundings become an integrate part of a game space and provide a way to tie content to a game activity and create immersive learning experiences. To explore the properties of such games, and how they are played out in practice we have designed, deployed and analysed a location-based game for learning history embedded in a pedagogical scenario based on collaborative mobile learning. In the video-based, detailed analysis of actual game-play, we study the practical accomplishment of a collaborative gaming activity with mobile technology. In focus are how the participants make use of the resources available in the game space and how these resources, including the historical narrative, feature in the participants' practical accomplishment of the game. In the analysis we identify a number of implications for design of location-based games.
10 citations
TL;DR: From ethnographic studies of family car journeys, the authors examine the work of parents in managing multiple stresses while driving, along with the challenges of distractions from media use and disputes in the car.
Abstract: Families spend an increasing amount of time in the car carrying out a number of activities including driving to work, caring for children and co-ordinating drop-offs and pick ups. While families travelling in cars may face stress from difficult road conditions, they are also likely to be frustrated by coordinating a number of activities and resolving disputes within the confined space of car. A rising number of in-car infotainment and driver-assistance systems aim to help reduce the stress from outside the vehicle and improve the experience of driving but may fail to address sources of stress from within the car. From ethnographic studies of family car journeys, the authors examine the work of parents in managing multiple stresses while driving, along with the challenges of distractions from media use and disputes in the car. Keeping these family extracts as a focus for analysis, we draw out some design considerations that help build on the observations from our empirical work.
9 citations
TL;DR: The authors believe that people would be more likely to adopt lifelog practices that support their current motivations for collecting items, and that family is at the core of life-long collections.
Abstract: In this paper the authors investigate the motivations for life-long collections and how these motivations can inform the design of future lifelog systems. Lifelogging is the practice of automatically capturing data from daily life experiences with mobile devices, such as smartphones and wearable cameras. Lifelog archives can benefit both older and younger people; therefore lifelog systems should be designed for people of all ages. The authors believe that people would be more likely to adopt lifelog practices that support their current motivations for collecting items. To identify these motivations, ten older and ten younger participants were interviewed. It was found that motivations for and against life-long collections evolve as people age and enter different stages, and that family is at the core of life-long collections. These findings will be used to guide the design of an intergenerational lifelog browser.
8 citations
TL;DR: An app designed to provide location-based hints and formative feedback to students to aid their understanding of the context and a positive response from students regarding its usability and pedagogic utility is described.
Abstract: With the ubiquity of interactive computer-based systems, designers are challenged to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of their designs for a variety of different environments and user activities. To achieve this, designers need to have a comprehensive understanding of the relevant contexts and of the people for whom they are designing systems. Therefore, in helping students learn how to become proficient and innovative designers and developers, it is crucial to get them out of the classroom and into the environments in which their designs will be used. In this paper we describe an app designed to provide location-based hints and formative feedback to students to aid their understanding of the context. The results show an improvement in scores and quality of assessed work completed with the support of the app and a positive response from students regarding its usability and pedagogic utility. The paper also considers the challenges of conducting an ecologically valid study of such interventions in a higher education setting.
8 citations
TL;DR: A study involves 26 users testing a prototype version of the Ericsson Mobile Health service, which is based on a smartphone application and measurement of vital signs via medical sensors, and shows a strong correlation between QoE and perceived effectiveness of the mobile interface.
Abstract: The applicability of advanced mobile technologies in the m-Health domain has led to a number of studies and (limited) commercial products supporting delivery of health services to remote users. A key issue regarding successful delivery and acceptance of such services is meeting their Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) requirements, focusing on technical aspects and end user perceived quality, respectively. In this paper, the authors address the topic of evaluating QoE for non-emergency remote patient monitoring services. They identify relevant QoE influence factors and metrics, and present the results of a QoE evaluation study, whereby they focus on usability aspects. The study involves 26 users testing a prototype version of the Ericsson Mobile Health service, which is based on a smartphone application and measurement of vital signs via medical sensors. The results show a strong correlation between QoE and: perceived effectiveness of the mobile interface (regarding both adequacy of smartphone screen size and smartphone application navigational support), perceived ease of conducting a blood pressure measurement task, and user motivation for service usage.
7 citations
TL;DR: The authors analyse a rich set of student created 'two-sided photos' to unpack the potential of this novel learning tool for technology-mediated art education and conclude with a set of strategies for designing mobile teaching tools for arts education.
Abstract: The potential of mobile devices to support learning has been explored for some time; however, little attention has been paid to arts education and the active creation of content on mobile devices as a facilitator of learning experiences. Further, new features of mobile phones such as dual cameras open new possibilities for supporting learning in creative contexts. In this paper, the authors investigate 'duography', a novel kind of 'two-sided' photography, for mobile phones in an art class. The study involves 17 adolescents, and their art teacher, over the course of 12 weeks. The objective is to convey creative competencies by means of the affordances of new mobile phones. The authors analyse a rich set of student created 'two-sided photos' to unpack the potential of this novel learning tool for technology-mediated art education. The authors illustrate how duography can mediate creative engagement by providing a frame for reflective discussions and negotiations on different perspectives and multiple meanings of artefacts. The authors conclude with a set of strategies for designing mobile teaching tools for arts education.
4 citations
TL;DR: The authors propose an analytical framework for modeling and evaluating collected context data and the nature of relevancy among these data towards defining context awareness in mobile human computer interaction.
Abstract: Context information is commonly linked to various physical and user activities embedded in users' everyday lives. Research has mainly focused on sensing and inferring context information, yet the relevancy among these contexts is rarely investigated. In this paper, the authors propose an analytical framework for modeling and evaluating collected context data and the nature of relevancy among these data towards defining context awareness. They validate the proposed framework on a case study using a dataset that incorporates users' activities in various situations and surrounding environment scenarios. The framework provides preliminary guidelines for determining representative measures of user and physical context in the design and evaluation policies of context awareness in mobile human computer interaction.
TL;DR: These experiments attempt to understand the relationship between cognition, distraction, usability and performance, and conclude with a reinforced argument for the development of a cognitive load aware system.
Abstract: Humans are approaching a new and intriguing time with regards to Mobile Human Computer Interaction For years we have observed the processing power, memory capabilities and battery life of the mobile device increase exponentially While at the same time mobile devices were converging with additional technologies such as increased connectivity, external peripherals, GPS and location based services etc But what are the cognitive costs associated with these advancements? The software used on mobile devices is also becoming more sophisticated, demanding more from our limited mental resources Furthermore, this complex software is being used in distracting environments such as in cars, busses, trains and noisy communal areas These environments, themselves, have steadily become increasingly more complex and cognitively demanding Increasingly complex software, installed on increasingly complex mobile devices, being used in increasing complex environments is presenting Mobile HCI with serious challenges This paper presents a brief overview of five experiments before presenting a final experiment in detail These experiments attempt to understand the relationship between cognition, distraction, usability and performance The research determines that some distractions affect usability and not performance while others affect performance but not usability This paper concludes with a reinforced argument for the development of a cognitive load aware system
TL;DR: These findings confirm that emotional stimuli are suitable as feedback messages in the context of mobile HCI and that context matters for the affective quality of sounds emitted by mobile phones.
Abstract: Sound is a common means to give feedback on mobile devices. Much research has been conducted to examine the learnability and user performance with systems that provide audio feedback. In many cases a training period is necessary to understand the meaning of a specific feedback, because their functional connotation may be ambiguous. Additionally, no standardized evaluation method to measure the subjective quality of these messages has been established; especially regarding the affective quality of feedback sounds. The authors describe a series of experiments to investigate the affective impression of audio feedback on mobile devices as well as their functional meaning under varying contexts prototypical for mobile phone usage. Results indicate that context influences the emotional impression and that there is a relation between affective quality and functional appropriateness. These findings confirm that emotional stimuli are suitable as feedback messages in the context of mobile HCI and that context matters for the affective quality of sounds emitted by mobile phones.
TL;DR: The authors demonstrate the approach in a field study, where they observed 11 tourists with three unobtrusive in-situ techniques and used the gathered data to jog their memories in a post-hoc interview and concluded that hybrid observation would be valuable in other mobile field study settings.
Abstract: The observation of cycling tourists is a real challenge. Traditional in-situ observation techniques fail as they threaten the intimateness of the experience and often interfere with the users' tasks. In post-hoc studies, like interviews, participants are unable to recap all details of their earlier experience accurately. This paper investigates how a hybrid, i.e., in-situ and post-hoc, observation approach can overcome the individual limitations and thereby provide detailed insights without disturbing the cyclists. The authors demonstrate the approach in a field study, where we observed 11 tourists with three unobtrusive in-situ techniques and used the gathered data to jog their memories in a post-hoc interview. They found that the observation technique allows to get detailed and accurate insights, and the communication between experimenter and participant becomes clearer. The authors conclude that hybrid observation would be valuable in other mobile field study settings.
TL;DR: The proposed approach is based on using the Genetic Algorithm for searching the best solution (prototype with the best-suited design and interaction schema) from the set of created prototypes during the design phase and would enhance the interaction designers' ability of producing the final prototype of the target mobile application in an efficient and effective way.
Abstract: The recent advances in the mobile environment, such as multi-touch gestures paradigm, introduce new challenges for the interaction designers in producing the best-suited final prototype. Moreover, the short delivery-time pressure of the current mobile market makes it harder to perform the detailed evaluations for selecting the best prototype amongst the created ones. In this vision paper, we propose an approach for evolving the created prototypes towards the final prototype with the best-suited design and interaction schema. Our approach is based on using the Genetic Algorithm for searching the best solution (prototype with the best-suited design and interaction schema) from the set of created prototypes during the design phase. The proposed approach suits the mobile application development and would enhance the interaction designers' ability of producing the final prototype of the target mobile application in an efficient and effective way.
TL;DR: The use of GPS enabled mobile devices in the creation of soundwalks in other cities is discussed and various strategies for articulating an experience of listening in place as mediated by mobile technologies are identified.
Abstract: This article outlines the ongoing development of a locative smartphone app for iPhone and Android phones entitled The Belfast Soundwalks Project. Drawing upon a method known as soundwalking, the aim of this app is to engage the public in sonic art through the creation of up to ten soundwalks within the city of Belfast. This paper discusses the use of GPS enabled mobile devices in the creation of soundwalks in other cities. The authors identify various strategies for articulating an experience of listening in place as mediated by mobile technologies. The project aims to provide a platform for multiple artists to develop site-specific sound works which highlight the relationship between sound, place and community. The development of the app and the app interface are discussed, as are the methods employed to test and evaluate the project.
TL;DR: Developers of enterprise applications can use this guideline to identify the most suitable devices to target for their content thus avoiding low adoption and poor usability associated with their application on unsuitable devices.
Abstract: As the mobile workforce expands and enterprise applications continue to evolve it is critical for software developers to target appropriate devices for their content. Not all applications are suitable for mobile deployment, for example if an application manipulates large amounts of spreadsheet data, it may result in low adoption rates and poor performance outcomes on a smartphone. This research provides a guideline to identify the most suitable device in yielding successful task performances from the user's perspective. The guideline couples the user's performance requirements associated with specific tasks, to the device whose performance most adheres to their requirements. Developers of enterprise applications can use this guideline to identify the most suitable devices to target for their content thus avoiding low adoption and poor usability associated with their application on unsuitable devices. To demonstrate the use of the guideline the authors applied it to a usability study, which focused on comparing user performance across devices. Application of the guideline resulted in a positive response in terms of improving representational user information required when targeting devices.