Beyond “yesterday’s tomorrow”: future-focused mobile interaction design by and for emergent users

Mobile and ubiquitous computing researchers have long envisioned future worlds for users in developed regions. Steered by such visions, they have innovated devices and services exploring the value of alternative propositions with and for individuals, groups and communities. Meanwhile, such radical and long-term explorations are uncommon for what have been termed emergent users; users, that is, for whom advanced technologies are just within grasp. Rather, a driving assumption is that today’s high-end mobile technologies will “trickle down” to these user groups in due course. In this paper, we open the debate about what mobile technologies might be like if emergent users were directly involved in creating their visions for the future 5–10 years from now. To do this, we report on a set of envisioning workshops in India, South Africa and Kenya that provide a roadmap for valued, effective devices and services for these regions in the next decade. © 2016, The Author(s)

Non-Overlapping Functions for Pyk2 and FAK in Osteoblasts during Fluid Shear Stress-Induced Mechanotransduction

Mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert external mechanical stimuli such as fluid shear stress (FSS) into biochemical changes, plays a critical role in maintenance of the skeleton. We have proposed that mechanical stimulation by FSS across the surfaces of bone cells results in formation of unique signaling complexes called mechanosomes that are launched from sites of adhesion with the extracellular matrix and with other bone cells [1]. Deformation of adhesion complexes at the cell membrane ultimately results in alteration of target gene expression. Recently, we reported that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) functions as a part of a mechanosome complex that is required for FSS-induced mechanotransduction in bone cells. This study extends this work to examine the role of a second member of the FAK family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases, proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2), and determine its role during osteoblast mechanotransduction. We use osteoblasts harvested from mice as our model system in this study and compared the contributions of Pyk2 and FAK during FSS induced mechanotransduction in osteoblasts. We exposed Pyk2+/+ and Pyk2−/− primary calvarial osteoblasts to short period of oscillatory fluid flow and analyzed downstream activation of ERK1/2, and expression of c-fos, cyclooxygenase-2 and osteopontin. Unlike FAK, Pyk2 was not required for fluid flow-induced mechanotransduction as there was no significant difference in the response of Pyk2+/+ and Pyk2−/− osteoblasts to short periods of fluid flow (FF). In contrast, and as predicted, FAK−/− osteoblasts were unable to respond to FF. These data indicate that FAK and Pyk2 have distinct, non-redundant functions in launching mechanical signals during osteoblast mechanotransduction. Additionally, we compared two methods of generating FF in both cell types, oscillatory pump method and another orbital platform method. We determined that both methods of generating FF induced similar responses in both primary calvarial osteoblasts and immortalized calvarial osteoblasts

Exploring Terra Incognita: Wayfinding Devices for Games

The ludic experience of exploring wilderness in gameworlds may be compromised by either the negative affects of disorientation or the conspicuous application of architectural principles known to support wayfinding. We use a novel device, inspired by insect navigation, to examine players' situated acquisition of spatial knowledge to enable them return to the origin of their route while they explore an unfamiliar, synthetic natural world. We describe qualitative and quantitative data on player behaviour and distill themes to inform subsequent designs to assist players fulfillment when exploring settings and interpreting them spatially

Highly deformed o-carborane-functionalised non-linear polycyclic aromatics with exceptionally long C-C bond lengths

The effect of substituting o‐carborane into the most sterically hindered positions of phenanthrene and benzo(k)tetraphene is reported. Synthesised via a Bull‐Hutchings‐Quayle benzannulation, the crystal structures of these non‐linear polycyclic aromatics exhibited the highest aromatic deformation parameters observed for any reported carborane compound to date, with the largest carboranyl C‐C bond length of all organo‐substituted o ‐carboranes. Photoluminescence studies of these compounds demonstrated efficient intramolecular charge‐transfer, leading to aggregation induced emission properties. Additionally, an unusual low‐energy excimer was observed for the phenanthryl compound. These are two new members of the family of carborane‐functionalised non‐linear polycyclic aromatics notable for their peculiar structures and multi‐luminescent properties

Correlating the Structural and Photophysical Properties of Ortho , Meta , and Para‐Carboranyl–Anthracene Dyads

The role of the carborane isomer is investigated on the structural and photophysical properties of molecules comprising a carborane cluster and a conjugated organic moiety is investigated by synthesizing isomeric o‐, m‐, and p‐carboranyl‐anthracene donor–acceptor dyads. While appending a carborane leads to emission from a low energy intramolecular charge transfer state for the o‐isomer, as well as emission from an excited state localized on the anthracene, this is not the case for the m‐ and p‐carborane derivatives. This difference is attributed to a lower electron affinity for the latter two isomers. However, adding both m‐ and p‐ deforms the aromatic backbone and increases its structural rigidity, reducing non‐radiative decay pathways and hence enhancing photoluminescence quantum efficiency relative to anthracene

A cross-cultural noticeboard for a remote community: Design, deployment, and evaluation

Remote communities all over the world often face the problem of creating and sharing digital contents in ways that are appropriate for their values and customs while using tools that were designed for Western contexts. This paper advocates for a different approach that builds upon the own goals and ambitions of a specific community, leveraging existing skills, and reflecting local ways of knowing in spite of the higher costs. We present the design of a digital noticeboard tailored to the needs and values of the Australian Aboriginal community of Groote Eylandt. The noticeboard was designed to support communication and promote literacy by offering bi-lingual multimodal content creation and sharing. The final design mirrors the preference for orality and storytelling, is well suited to working in groups, and pays special attention to issues of moderation. The noticeboard does not rely on a stable connectivity, and notices can be shared to many locations using low-tech opportunistic mechanisms. Because the value of custom designs can hardly be assessed only in terms of cost and efficiency in this paper we propose to focus on community engagement as a measure of success for HCI4D projects

Challenges for interaction design education in the South: a case study of Botswana

In a long-term partnership between a university in the UK and one in Botswana teaching interaction design, the Botswana cohort of students consistently performed less well than their UK counterparts. To investigate this, we conducted a pair of design protocol studies: one in the UK and one in Botswana. Our findings show that designer behaviour differs in the two contexts in terms of process, use of ideation techniques, and solution and problem focus when approaching the task. More specifically, UK students follow the approach taught in the module, while this process conflicts with Botswana students’ behaviours. However, we also find that Botswana students prioritise the external context of the designed product rather than its interaction characteristics, which is problematic as interaction is the key feature of interactive products. These results are significant because without leveraging indigenous knowledge to design interaction that supports local user characteristics and context, sustainable and equitable development through technological innovation will be suppressed. In this paper we highlight challenges for interaction design education in Botswana, which include how to recognize and support a diversity of design approaches while providing suitable pedagogic scaffolding