2,232 research outputs found
Virtually connected, practically mobile
This is the post-print version of the Chapter. The official published version can be accessed from the links below - Copyright @ 2006 SpringerThis chapter addresses a central issue in studies of mobile work and mobile technology â what is the work of mobile workers, and how do they use the resources that they have to undertake this work (i.e. the work they have to do in order to do their work)? In contrast to many of the other papers in this collection, the objective of this chapter is to examine individual mobile work, and not teamwork and co-operation other than where it impacts on the work of individuals. We present data from a study of mobile workers, examining a range of mobile workers to produce a rich picture of their work. Our analysis reveals insights into how mobile workers mix their mobility with their work, home and social lives, their use of mobile technology, the problems â technological and otherwise â inherent in being mobile, and the strategies that they use to manage their work, time, other resources and availability. Our findings demonstrate important issues in understanding mobile work, including the maintenance of communities of practice, the role and management of interpersonal awareness and co-ordination, how environmental resources affect activity, the impact of mobility on family/social relationships and the crossover between the mobile workersâ private and working lives, how preplanning is employed prior to travel, and how mobile workers perform activity multitasking, for example through making use of âdead timeâ. Finally, we turn to the implications of this data for the design and deployment of mobile virtual work (MVW) technologies for individuals and a broader organisational context
Designing for women experiencing intimate partner violence
This thesis explores design issues that should be taken into account when developing mobile services for women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim of the thesis was to apply user-centred design methods and gain understanding of the situation and the needs of potential users of a mobile application aimed at women under a threat of abuse. The thesis explores the opportunities mobile technology could offer to women recovering from IPV. The threats posed by the violent environment and the attempt to develop ways to reduce the risks were emphasised in the research and design project.
The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the definition of intimate partner violence, the consequences of violence from a survivor point of view and the means of surviving violence. In addition, this section examines the risks and opportunities that information technology enables in abusive situations. The theoretical part is followed by a description of a design project aimed at developing a concept for a mobile application for women experiencing violence. The research on which the design work was based was carried out using user-centered design methods such as interviews, surveys and mapping the current operating environment and available services for survivors. The concept of the mobile application related to the thesis was evaluated using prototyping and usability tests. The thesis introduces the application concept that emerged from the design work and suggests principles to be used to support design in situations where users live under a threat of violence. The following principles emerged from the study: 1) safety and privacy, 2) validation and support for empowerment and 3) encouragement to reach out.
The findings indicate that mobile applications developed with user-centred design approach can provide beneficial tools for coping with IPV. The potential features were for example anonymous contact to support organisation, diary, and information on violence and safety arrangements. The study implies that it is possible to reduce the threat of violence related to the use situations. The study implies that the risk of violence when using the application can be reduced by for example protecting the content with a password, hiding the actual content of the application and sharing information about security and privacy. It is also important to recommend that the users evaluate their own security situation and act on their own assessment.TaÌmaÌ opinnaÌytetyoÌ tutkii suunnittelutyoÌhoÌn liittyviaÌ kysymyksiaÌ, jotka tulisi ottaa huomioon kehitettaÌessaÌ mobiilipalveluita parisuhdevaÌkivaltaa kokeville naisille. OpinnaÌytetyoÌn tavoite oli selvittaÌaÌ kaÌyttaÌjaÌlaÌhtoÌisen suunnittelun keinoin potentiaalisten kaÌyttaÌjien tilannetta ja tarpeita sekaÌ kartoittaa mobiiliteknologian mahdollistamien tyoÌkalujen hyoÌdyllisyyttaÌ vaÌkivallasta selviytymisen prosessissa. VaÌkivaltaisen ympaÌristoÌn aiheuttamien uhkien tarkastelu ja pyrkimys kehittaÌaÌ keinoja riskien pienentaÌmiseen painottuivat tutkimus- ja suunnitteluprojektissa.
OpinnaÌytteen teoreettinen osa kaÌsittelee parisuhdevaÌkivallan maÌaÌritelmaÌaÌ, vaÌkivallan seurauksia vaÌkivaltaa kokevan naÌkoÌkulmasta sekaÌ vaÌkivallasta selviytymisen keinoja. LisaÌksi osio kaÌy laÌpi kirjallisuutta tietoteknologian ja parisuhdevaÌkivallan riskeistaÌ ja mahdollisuuksista. Teoreettista osuutta seuraa kuvaus suunnitteluprojektista, jonka tavoitteena oli kehittaÌaÌ konsepti mobiilisovellukselle, joka on suunnattu vaÌkivaltaisessa parisuhteessa oleville naisille. SuunnittelutyoÌn pohjana kaÌytetty tutkimus toteutettiin kaÌyttaÌjaÌlaÌhtoÌisen suunnittelun metodein. MenetelmaÌt sisaÌlsivaÌt mm. haastatteluja, kyselyjaÌ ja vaÌkivaltatyoÌn nykyisen toimintaympaÌristoÌn ja palveluiden kartoittamista. OpinnaÌytetyoÌhoÌn liittyvaÌn mobiilisovelluksen konseptia arvioitiin prototyypin ja kaÌytettaÌvyystutkimuksen keinoin. OpinnaÌytetyoÌn lopuksi tutustutaan suunnittelutyoÌn tuloksena syntyneeseen sovelluskonseptiin ja esitellaÌaÌn suunnittelua tukevat periaatteet tilanteisiin, joissa potentiaaliset kaÌyttaÌjaÌt elaÌvaÌt vaÌkivallan uhan alla. Suunnitteluperiaatteet on ryhmitelty seuraaviin kategorioihin: 1) turvallisuus ja yksityisyys, 2) kokemuksen validointi ja voimaantumisen tukeminen 3) hiljaisuuden rikkominen.
LoÌydoÌsten perusteella vaikuttaa siltaÌ, ettaÌ kaÌyttaÌjaÌlaÌhtoÌisesti suunnitelluilla mobiilisovelluksilla voi tarjota vaÌlineitaÌ vaÌkivaltaisesta parisuhteesta selviytymiseen. TaÌrkeiksi toiminnoiksi koettiin mm. anonyymi yhteydenotto, paÌivaÌkirjatoiminto ja tieto vaÌkivallasta ja turvallisuudesta. Tutkimuksen perusteella kaÌyttoÌtilanteisiin liittyvaÌaÌ vaÌkivallan uhkaa on mahdollista vaÌhentaÌaÌ erilaisin keinoin. RiskejaÌ pienentaÌaÌ mm. sisaÌlloÌn suojaaminen salasanalla, sovelluksen varsinaisen sisaÌlloÌn kaÌtkeminen sekaÌ tietoturvainformaation jakaminen. KaÌyttaÌjiaÌ on myoÌs taÌrkeaÌtaÌ ohjata arvioimaan omaa turvallisuustilannettaan ja toimimaan oman arviointinsa perusteella
GeoHealth:a location-based service for home healthcare workers
We describe a map-based location-based service âGeoHealth â for home healthcare workers who attend patients at home within a large geographical area. Informed by field studies of work activities and interviews with care providers, we have designed a mobile location-based service prototype supporting collaboration through information sharing and distributed electronic patient records. The GeoHealth prototype gives the users live contextual information about patients, coworkers, current and scheduled work activities and alarms adapted to their geographical location. The application is web-based and uses Google Maps, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Web 2.0 technology to provide a lightweight, dynamic and interactive representation of the work domain supporting distributed collaboration, communication and peripheral awareness among nomadic workers. Through a user-based evaluation, we found that the healthcare workers were positive towards the use of location-based services in their work, and that the dynamic and interactive geospatial representation of the work domain provided by GeoHealth supported distributed collaboration, communication and peripheral awareness. We also identified areas for improvements
Consumer Value of Context Aware and Location Based Mobile Services
Context aware services have the ability to utilize information about the userâs context to adapt services to the userâs current situation and needs. In this paper we consider usersâ perceptions of the added value of location awareness and presence information in mobile services. We use an experimental design, where stimuli comprising specific bundles of mobile services were presented to groups of respondents. The stimuli showed increasing, manipulated, levels of contextawareness, including location of the user and location and availability of buddies as distinct levels. Our results indicate that simply adding context aware features to mobile services does not necessarily provide added value to users, rather the contrary. The potential added value of insight in buddiesâ location and availability is offset by peopleâs reluctance to share location information with others. Although the average perceived value overall is rather low there exists a substantial minority that does appreciate the added context aware features. High scores on constructs like product involvement, social influence and self-expressiveness characterize this group. The results also show that context aware service bundles with utilitarian elements have a higher perceived value than bundles with hedonic elements. On the basis of the different results some guidelines for designing context aware mobile services are formulated
The phone as a tool for combining online and offline social activity â teenagersâ phone access to an online community
We have analyzed two months of log data and 100 surveys on the phone use of a Swedish online community for teenagers to investigate the mobile use of an established online service. This shows that the phone use mostly takes place during times of the day when teenagers have social time and the use is not influenced by the availability of a computer. The phone makes the community access more private compared to the computer, but teens do share the use when they want to. The cell phone bridges the online and offline social communities and allows teens to participate in both at the same time. The online community is not only a place for social activity online, it is also a social activity offline that is carried out face-to-face with friends. The cell phone thus was a tool for the teens to combine their participation in the online and the offline world
Bexley report: a report to MCCH on a suitable transport policy for its Bexley services
This report presents the findings of and recommendations from the study
commissioned by MCCH to advise on a comprehensive transport policy for MCCH
to use in providing services in both its residential homes and day-care centres in
Bexley.
It describes the current positions of transport supply for, and of transport demand
by the community of people with learning difficulties in the London Borough of
Bexley. It also considers the extent to which the transport supply is meeting or not
meeting the transport demands and the expressed needs of the people and/or
their representatives. The report considers the implications for improvement in
transport provision of certain proposed actions by MCCH.
Finally, the report presents some recommendations based on a user-centred
strategy to help MCCH incorporate their concept of empowering their service
users through suitable transport provision.
This study has been conducted with the ethos and operational objectives of the
MCCH group firmly in mind. MCCH has an objective to enhance quality of life for
their service users and is very concerned with ensuring that its service users are
enabled to exercise the rights and opportunities of citizenship with particular
reference to freedom of choice in time and mode of travel.
MCCH holds that real improvement in services to learning disability people must
include increased range and choice of people-centred opportunities that address
the total needs and aspirations of service users and their carers, underpinned by
values and principles of good practice. Thus MCCH desires to put back in the
control of users, the lever of decision making as regards services provided to
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them and intends to do this by actively eliciting user/stakeholders involvement in
decision-making.
Contrary to the standard social service transport provision style, MCCH desires to
create choice for service-users, feeling that people should be able to decide
whether, e.g. to go by bus or train and be supported in their decision and not be
constrained by the schedule of the provided transport.
The specific terms of reference for this study are
1. To examine the current demand for, and provision of, transport within
MCCHâs Bexley services. To assess how best these services might be
reconfigured and managed, having regard to:
· Desire to increase empowerment and choice for service users
· Optimizing the integration of the transport management in Bexley within
MCCHâs organization, in the light of most efficient use of resources and
practice elsewhere in MCCH
· Desire to better integrate residential services with day services in
Bexley
· MCCHâs intention to reconfigure Bexley day services
· The move of service users towards âsupported livingâ as opposed to
registered care
· The objectives and concerns of all parties involved, including Bexley
Social Services, Bexley Transport Services, the parents/relatives/carers
of the service users and the service users themselves
· The way vehicles are currently owned and funded
· Efficiency and cost
2. To produce outline proposals, plans and specifications of how a
reconfigured transport service would look and operate, including details of
resource requirements in enough detail to allow reasonably accurate
costing to be derived
Multi-Dimensional-Personalization in mobile contexts
During the dot com era the word "personalisationâ was a hot buzzword. With the fall of the dot com companies the topic has lost momentum. As the killer application for UMTS or the mobile internet has yet to be identified, the concept of Multi-Dimensional-Personalisation (MDP) could be a candidate.
Using this approach, a recommendation of mobile advertisement or marketing (i.e., recommendations or notifications), online content, as well as offline events, can be offered to the user based on their known interests and current location. Instead of having to request or pull this information, the new service concept would proactively provide the information and services â with the consequence that the right information or service could therefore be offered at the right place, at the right time.
The growing availability of "Location-based Servicesâ for mobile phones is a new target for the use of personalisation. "Location-based Servicesâ are information, for example, about restaurants, hotels or shopping malls with offers which are in close range / short distance to the user. The lack of acceptance for such services in the past is based on the fact that early implementations required the user to pull the information from the service provider. A more promising approach is to actively push information to the user. This information must be from interest to the user and has to reach the user at the right time and at the right place.
This raises new requirements on personalisation which will go far beyond present requirements. It will reach out from personalisation based only on the interest of the user. Besides the interest, the enhanced personalisation has to cover the location and movement patterns, the usage and the past, present and future schedule of the user. This new personalisation paradigm has to protect the userâs privacy so that an approach supporting anonymous recommendations through an extended "Chinese Wallâ will be described
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Supporting Location Privacy Management through Feedback and Control
Participation in modern, socially-focused digital systems involves a large degree of privacy management, i.e. controlling who may access what information under what circumstances. Effective privacy management (control) requires that mobile systemsâ users be able to make informed privacy decisions as their experience and knowledge of a system progresses. By informed, we mean users be aware of the actual information flow. Moreover, privacy preferences vary across the context and it is hard to define privacy policy that reflects the dynamic nature of our lives.
This research explores the problem of supporting awareness of information flow and designing usable interfaces for maintaining privacy policies ad-hoc. We borrow from the world of Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) and propose to incorporate social translucence, a design approach that âsupports coherent behaviour by making participants and their activities visible to one anotherâ. We use the characteristics of social translucence, namely visibility, awareness and accountability in order to introduce social norms in spatially dispersed systems. Our research is driven by two questions: (1) how can artifacts from real world social interaction, such as responsibility, be embedded into mobile interaction; and (2) can systems be designed in which both privacy violations and the burden of privacy management is minimized.
The contributions of our work are: (1) an implementation of Buddy Tracker, privacy-aware location-sharing application based on the social translucence; (2) the design and evaluation of the concept of real-time feedback as a means of incorporating social translucence in location-sharing scenarios; and finally (3) a novel interface for ad-hoc privacy management called Privacy-Shake.
We explore the role of real-time feedback for privacy management in the context of Buddy Tracker. Informed by focus group discussions, interviews, surveys and two field trials of Buddy Tracker we found that when using a system that provided real-time feedback, people were more accountable for their actions and reduced the number of unreasonable location requests. From our observations we develop concrete design guidelines for incorporating real-time feedback into information sharing applications in a manner that ensures social acceptance of the technology
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