A framework to guide the design of environments coupling mobile and situated technologies

An increasing number of devices are being situated in public spaces yet interactions with such devices are problematic: they tend to be impersonal and subject to social apprehension while devices suitable for specific tasks may be difficult to locate. This thesis considers how one might design for these environments to overcome these issues and deliver engaging user experiences. It proposes the coupling of the interactive features of mobile and situated devices to facilitate personalised interactions with those situated devices. The thesis explores coupling techniques that extend the computational capabilities of the situated device through the addition of the input, output and storage capabilities of the mobile device. Finally it considers how multiple points of coupling can be used to link sequences of interactions with different situated devices providing rich, cohesive experiences across an environment. The thesis presents a novel framework that builds upon previous work. Existing work is reviewed that links mobiles with single situated displays, and that uses mobiles for mediating exploration of physical spaces to address the lack of work addressing multiple situated de-vices in public. This review grounds a proposal and elaboration of a core model of interaction within a coupling environment, providing the basis for a design framework. This was sup-ported by the implementation of a test-bed that consisted of six couples in various configura-tions, underpinned by a software infrastructure. Formative user studies refined the framework and revealed novel aspects of the user experi-ence for study. It was found that through support for narrative and personal orchestration, coupling environments afford personalised trajectories. By designing for personal trajectories the visitor has a more enjoyable personal experience and seeks to improve the experiences of others. In addition, coupling environments support social experiences; the step-by-step nature of a visitor’s trajectory through the coupling environment lends itself to gradually introducing visitors to social coupled interaction and reducing social awkwardness

A framework to guide the design of environments coupling mobile and situated technologies

An increasing number of devices are being situated in public spaces yet interactions with such devices are problematic: they tend to be impersonal and subject to social apprehension while devices suitable for specific tasks may be difficult to locate. This thesis considers how one might design for these environments to overcome these issues and deliver engaging user experiences. It proposes the coupling of the interactive features of mobile and situated devices to facilitate personalised interactions with those situated devices. The thesis explores coupling techniques that extend the computational capabilities of the situated device through the addition of the input, output and storage capabilities of the mobile device. Finally it considers how multiple points of coupling can be used to link sequences of interactions with different situated devices providing rich, cohesive experiences across an environment. The thesis presents a novel framework that builds upon previous work. Existing work is reviewed that links mobiles with single situated displays, and that uses mobiles for mediating exploration of physical spaces to address the lack of work addressing multiple situated de-vices in public. This review grounds a proposal and elaboration of a core model of interaction within a coupling environment, providing the basis for a design framework. This was sup-ported by the implementation of a test-bed that consisted of six couples in various configura-tions, underpinned by a software infrastructure. Formative user studies refined the framework and revealed novel aspects of the user experi-ence for study. It was found that through support for narrative and personal orchestration, coupling environments afford personalised trajectories. By designing for personal trajectories the visitor has a more enjoyable personal experience and seeks to improve the experiences of others. In addition, coupling environments support social experiences; the step-by-step nature of a visitor’s trajectory through the coupling environment lends itself to gradually introducing visitors to social coupled interaction and reducing social awkwardness

Maritime expressions:a corpus based exploration of maritime metaphors

This study uses a purpose-built corpus to explore the linguistic legacy of Britain’s maritime history found in the form of hundreds of specialised ‘Maritime Expressions’ (MEs), such as TAKEN ABACK, ANCHOR and ALOOF, that permeate modern English. Selecting just those expressions commencing with ’A’, it analyses 61 MEs in detail and describes the processes by which these technical expressions, from a highly specialised occupational discourse community, have made their way into modern English. The Maritime Text Corpus (MTC) comprises 8.8 million words, encompassing a range of text types and registers, selected to provide a cross-section of ‘maritime’ writing. It is analysed using WordSmith analytical software (Scott, 2010), with the 100 million-word British National Corpus (BNC) as a reference corpus. Using the MTC, a list of keywords of specific salience within the maritime discourse has been compiled and, using frequency data, concordances and collocations, these MEs are described in detail and their use and form in the MTC and the BNC is compared. The study examines the transformation from ME to figurative use in the general discourse, in terms of form and metaphoricity. MEs are classified according to their metaphorical strength and their transference from maritime usage into new registers and domains such as those of business, politics, sports and reportage etc. A revised model of metaphoricity is developed and a new category of figurative expression, the ‘resonator’, is proposed. Additionally, developing the work of Lakov and Johnson, Kovesces and others on Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT), a number of Maritime Conceptual Metaphors are identified and their cultural significance is discussed