How Push-To-Talk Makes Talk Less Pushy

This paper presents an exploratory study of college-age students using two-way, push-to-talk cellular radios. We describe the observed and reported use of cellular radio by the participants. We discuss how the half-duplex, lightweight cellular radio communication was associated with reduced interactional commitment, which meant the cellular radios could be used for a wide range of conversation styles. One such style, intermittent conversation, is characterized by response delays. Intermittent conversation is surprising in an audio medium, since it is typically associated with textual media such as instant messaging. We present design implications of our findings.Comment: 10 page

Detecting User Engagement in Everyday Conversations

This paper presents a novel application of speech emotion recognition: estimation of the level of conversational engagement between users of a voice communication system. We begin by using machine learning techniques, such as the support vector machine (SVM), to classify users' emotions as expressed in individual utterances. However, this alone fails to model the temporal and interactive aspects of conversational engagement. We therefore propose the use of a multilevel structure based on coupled hidden Markov models (HMM) to estimate engagement levels in continuous natural speech. The first level is comprised of SVM-based classifiers that recognize emotional states, which could be (e.g.) discrete emotion types or arousal/valence levels. A high-level HMM then uses these emotional states as input, estimating users' engagement in conversation by decoding the internal states of the HMM. We report experimental results obtained by applying our algorithms to the LDC Emotional Prosody and CallFriend speech corpora.Comment: 4 pages (A4), 1 figure (EPS

The F@ Framework of Designing Awareness Mechanisms in Instant Messaging

This paper presents our research on awareness support in Instant Messaging (IM). The paper starts with a brief overview of empirical study of IM, using an online survey and face-to-face interviews to identify user needs for awareness support. The study identified a need for supporting four aspects of awareness, awareness of multiple concurrent conversations, conversational awareness, presence awareness of a group conversation, and visibility of moment-to-moment listeners and viewers. Based on the empirical study and existing research on awareness, we have developed the F@ (read as fat) framework of awareness. F@ comprises of the abstract level and the concrete level. The former includes an in-depth description of various awareness aspects in IM, whilst the latter utilises temporal logic to formalise fundamental time-related awareness aspects. F@ helps developers gain a better understanding of awareness and thereby design usable mechanisms to support awareness. Applying F@, we have designed several mechanisms to support various aspect of awareness in IM

Making Space for Stories: Ambiguity in the Design of Personal Communication Systems

Pervasive personal communication technologies offer the potential for important social benefits for individual users, but also the potential for significant social difficulties and costs. In research on face-to-face social interaction, ambiguity is often identified as an important resource for resolving social difficulties. In this paper, we discuss two design cases of personal communication systems, one based on fieldwork of a commercial system and another based on an unrealized design concept. The cases illustrate how user behavior concerning a particular social difficulty, unexplained unresponsiveness, can be influenced by technological issues that result in interactional ambiguity. The cases also highlight the need to balance the utility of ambiguity against the utility of usability and communicative clarity.Comment: 10 page

Reliable communication across ad hoc networks

This paper presents a fully decentralised peer-topeer voice communication tool intended for use across mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) by distributed groups who desired collaboration. We examined the synergy between MANETs and peer-to-peer virtual overlay networks which allowed the creation of ad hoc applications. One style of communication considered suitable for task oriented distributed group collaboration was push-to-talk. This research was focused on providing a push-to-talk communication platform suitable for deployment across MANETs. The research methodology employed was a proof of concept approach within a classical experimental computer science paradigm. We developed a prototype which used JXTA, a peer-to-peer virtual overlay network, to provide push-to-talk functionality across MANETs. Guaranteed delivery of messages was provided via a peer-to-peer voicemail delivery system. While the system did what intended we show that JXTA had a problem with the efficient delivery of voice samples.Telkom, Cisco, THRI

Ubiquitous Information Systems – Understanding privacy concerns

Ubiquitous information systems (UBIS) adapt current Information System thinking to explicitly differentiate technology between hardware devices and software components. An unfolding vision of vast numbers of computing devices becoming a pervasive part of our everyday lives in underway as more routine activities move into the realm of information and communication technology (ICT). Customer loyalty smart card tracking, mobile and smart phone application, wireless MP3 players, intelligent key cards, close circuit television cameras, motion sensors, electronic passports and RFID cards are some of the frequently used ubiquitous devices that handle personal information about their owners and of which a typical average consumer could own more than one of them. This research paper investigates personal privacy issues confronting ubiquitous system users with the aim of constructing a framework that can help designers of such systems to better protect the personal privacy of the users of these systems through the integration of certain design concepts suggested by the framework into their design processes. Ten selected users of ubiquitous devices were interviewed, focusing on issue around the misunderstanding of some personal privacy concepts relating to their ubiquitous devices and locations of use. Interview responses were transcribed into electronic format and analyzed using grounded theory analysis and micro-coding techniques. The grounded theory analysis led to the identification of five concepts: Scope of potential disclosure of information, Scope of actual disclosure of information, Complexity of configuration, Top level control mechanism and integration of existing practices

A Framework for the Development of Social Linking Theory

This paper characterizes the need for a theory that links context to information through the behaviors rooted in cultural identity and social awareness. Based on hypermedia objects and four methods of social communication, I develop a framework for a theory of social linking. This theory assumes that social interaction is the plinth from which we communicate and argues that studies in human computer interaction and information retrieval require ongoing exploration of social communication