Mobile Devices in Information Society

8/2/2019 Mobile Devices in Information Society

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Mobile Devices in

Information SocietyIlya Shmorgun


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Topics


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Information society

Ubiquitous computing

Modern mobile devices

Ubiquitous mobile interactions


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Information

Society

Ubiquitous

Computing

Mobile

Devices


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Information Society


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Information society is a new mode of human

existence where the organized production,storage, retrieval, and utilization of information

play a central role.


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A society where the creation, distribution,

diffusion, use, integration and manipulation ofinformation is a significant economic, political, and

cultural activity.


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Wealth is created through economic utilization ofknowledge.


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A society where people mainly produceknowledge or cultural artifacts.


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Conclusion


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Information society is very much dependent upon

information management and so our technologyneeds to be able to support us in making better

use of that information.


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Ubiquitous Computing


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The goal of ubiquitous computing is to makecomputers invisible.


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Taking cues from the physical world a ubiquitous

computing environment should include lots of

information on the periphery.


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Using technology should be as pleasant as a walkin the woods.


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In the physical world lots of information is

available and yet a person is not overwhelmed by

it.


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Instead he can choose what to focus his attentionon.


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In contrast, currently, rather than being a tool

through which people work, the computer too

often remains the focus of attention.


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Ubiquitous computing proposes interaction

through calm technology, where users can sense

and control what directly interests them, while still

being aware of other opportunities to consume

information and when to focus on them.


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In the ubicomp reality people interact with devices

and objects without recognizing the presence of

computers and without significant cognitive effort.


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In its ultimate form ubicomp means that devices

will be able to move with us and dynamically buildunderstanding of their changing environments and

configure their services accordingly.


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Thus, ubiquitous computing is simultaneously verypersonal and extremely global.


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Ubiquitous technology requires simple, easy-to-use interfaces and a positive user experience.


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The user needs to be able to focus on the taskwithout worrying about the technology itself.


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People should be able to use devices without

needing to engage in underlying concepts or

technical details.


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New Paradigms ofInteraction


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The proliferation of computing into the physical

world suggests new paradigms of interactioninspired by constant access to information and

computational capabilities.


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Ubiquitous computing inspires the development ofapplications that are off the desktop.


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The new interaction paradigm should reflect more

closely how humans interact with each other and

the physical world.


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This includes the ability to speak, make gesturesand use various tools for writing.


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The Internet of Things


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Much of the users expectations will be influenced

by the Web, where a person encountering a

problem can simply hit Reload.


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In addition, on the Web it is very easy to move

between different peaces of information and

connect them together through links.


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The Internet of Things encompasses a variety of

technologies and research that aim to extend the

existing Internet to the world of physical objects.


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Examples of connecting physical objects to the

information stored on the Internet include QR

codes and RFID tags.


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QR Codes


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Quick Response (QR) codes are rectangular barcodes which can store large pieces of information.


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QR codes can encode any data type, such asalphanumeric, Kanji, and Hiragana symbols.


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QR codes can be found on billboards, bus stops,LCD advertising and food wrappers.


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The main barrier to widespread usage of QR

codes is that users need to download specialapplications to decode the information stored in

the codes.


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RFID Tags


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RFID tags rely on wireless non-contact systems totransfer data from tagged objects to readers.


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RFIDs enable information to be read withoutrequiring a line of sight.


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The main barrier to RFIDs becoming mainstream

is the cost of producing chips and also thatspecial RFID readers are yet to become widely

adopted.


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Context


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Systems can automatically adapt to the

environment by taking into account the currenttime, physical location, needs and other

parameters.


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Important aspects of context are: where you are,who you are with, and what resources are nearby.


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Types of context


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Context is any information that can be used to

characterize the situation of a person, place, orobject that is relevant to the interaction between a

user and an application.


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Computing context includes network connectivity,

communication costs and bandwidth as well asnearby devices.


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User context includes a users profile, location,people nearby and the current social situation.


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Physical context includes lighting, noise levels,traffic conditions, and temperature.


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Time context includes time of day, week, month,and season of the year.


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It is possible to obtain a context history, when all

of these contexts are recorded over a period oftime.


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Context Awareness


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Context awareness can be passive or active.


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Passive context awareness means that an

application presents new or updated context tothe user or allows the context to be retrieved later.


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Active context awareness means that an

application can automatically adapt to discoveredcontext by changing its behavior.


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Active context awareness can lead to more

interesting applications and remove unnecessaryuser interaction.


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An example of active context awareness is when a

mobile device uses its lighting sensor toautomatically adjust the brightness of the display.


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Issues with Context


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There is no uniform way of tracking location

indoors as well as outdoors and so systems mustuse different sources to find the users location.


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This may result in more uncertainty and errors andresult in conflicting pieces of information.


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One possible solution would be to assemble

context information from a variety of sources byusing an approach called context fusion.


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Another would be to involve the user as a domain

expert as he is the person, who has the mostunderstanding of his personal domain.


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OpportunisticInteractions


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For many everyday tasks the goals and intentionsare not clear, instead they are opportunistic.


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This means that a person takes advantage of theavailable circumstances.


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Activities are performed if the relevant opportunity

arises without engaging in extensive planning andanalysis.


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The goal of ubicomp is to provide a multitude of

single-activity interactions that together result in aunified and continuous interaction between people

and services.


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A person should not focus on a single interface toaccomplish some task.


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Instead the interaction should be more integrative

and free-flowing, similar to our interaction with thephysical world.


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Context-AwareApplications


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Context-aware applications should support users

in highly dynamic situations and improve theirperception of the surrounding context and the

effects of available actions.


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This will allow users to better form their goals andreflect their true intentions.


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There is a need for systems that are able to exploitdevices that just happen to be in the environment.


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In opportunistic systems everything needs to be

considered a sensor, meaning that every source ofdata needs to be used.


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The key to opportunistic sensing is abstracting all

kinds of data as generic sensors and providingstandardized access interfaces for them.


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Conclusion


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The goal of ubiquitous computing is to provide a

technological capability to support users in

achieving their goals by thoroughly integratingcomputational devices in the physical environment

and making them invisible.


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As a result information access and managementbecomes easier.


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Modern Mobile Devices


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Mobile Computing


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The modus operandi of mobile computing is

providing access to information at your fingertipsanywhere, anytime.


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As computers become more portable, people

expect to be able to access information anytimeand anywhere on the devices they carry with them

all the time.


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Since the beginning mobile computing assumed a2-level hierarchy: server and client.


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The term mobile computer includes many types of

devices, such as laptops, cell phones andsmartphones.


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The key ingredients are high-performance low-

power processors, high-density memory, andstandardized wireless communication.


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Mobile computers are resource-poor, their

connectivity is highly variable in regards toperformance and reliability, and they rely on a

limited source of energy.


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These constraints are intrinsic to mobility and notsimply artifacts of the current technology.


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Mobile Device Definition


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This research focuses specifically on mobile

devices which are viewed as a subset of mobilecomputing.


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A mobile device is a small, handheld computing

device, typically with a touchscreen or a smallkeyboard for input which does not rely on a WIMP

interaction style.


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The Evolution of MobilePhones


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The Evolution of Tablets


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Mainstream MobilePlatforms


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Mobile Device

Capabilities


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Camera

GPS and GLONASS

Ambient light sensor

Proximity sensor

Accelerometer

Three-axis gyroscope

Digital compass

WiFi

3G and EDGE

Bluetooth


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And when you combine those sensors with

artificial intelligence, you get...


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Ramsay, M., & Nielsen, J. (2000). WAP Usability Report.

What people use mobile

phones for?


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Highly goal-driven services which provide fast

answers to specific problems, for example Whatsthe weather like?


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Entertainment-focused services with the sole

purpose of killing time, for example gossip, sportsand games.


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Killing time is the killer app for mobile because the

user wants to get brief content in a limited amountof time and still be satisfied.

40


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Shopping

Travel

Searchengines

Portal

Entertainment

Shares

Sport

Weather

News

P

ercentage

30

20

10

0

User bookmarks by category


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Mobile Information

Needs

Mobile Information Needs (Sohn et al., 2008)


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18.5%13.3%

12.4%

7.6%

7.1%

6.9%

6.4%

5.7%

5.7%

4.5%

3.8%

2.6%

2.4%

1.4%

1.0%

0.7%

Trivia

Directions

Point of interest

Friend info

Shopping

Business hours

Personal item

Schedule

Phone #

Traffic

Sports/news/stocks

Email

Movie times

Weather

Travel

Recipes


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Budiu, R., & Nielsen, J. (2012). Usability of Mobile Websites and Applications (2nd ed).

Mobile Activities

Histogram of Mobile Activities


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6

12

12

15

20

20

22

23

31

33

37

44

51

51

171

work

personal care/health

device maintenance

information (public data)

local info

personal data

banking/financial

utility

shopping

picture-related

weather

travel/transportation

news

entertainment

communication


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Budiu, R., & Nielsen, J. (2011). Usability of iPad Apps and Websites.

What people use iPads

for?


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The iPad is frequently shared between family

members.


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The most common uses include games, email,

social networking, watching videos, reading newsand shopping.


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The Mobile Computing

Reality


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Mobile device usage is dominated by content

consumption.


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redev 2011 - From Mac to iPhone to iPad (And Back) - William Van Hecke

DifficultytoPerform

Complexity of Task

Desktop experience

Mobile experience


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For any kind of a serious computing task a laptop

is considered the bare minimum needed foreffective HCI.


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For many people smartphones are personal

computers on which they rely the most.


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The mobile device and its functionalities has

become a part of peoples self-expression and astatus symbol.


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Companies work hard to make sure that the

newest devices are cutting edge and do notvanish into the background, and yet...


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Truly mobile computing - lightweight, accessible

on the go, and wirelessly connected - has been avital vision of ubiquitous computing.


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The mobile device has become a pleasant and

effective place to get things done.


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Yet, the mobile device conflicts with the original

vision in many ways.


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Computing is centralized in the palm of your hand

instead of being distributed across theenvironment.


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This also conflicts with the assumption that

information appliances (single-function devices)

would prevail over complicated multifunctional

devices.


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The smartphone also conflicts with Weisers

concept of tabs, which would be available in largenumbers and shared by people.


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Instead smartphones are intimately personal

devices which are used for numerous purposes.


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Research has yet to address the multifaceted

functionality of mobile devices.


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Multiple functionalities enable users to do the

same task in different ways and combine functionsin unique ways.


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Users can also choose to ignore functionalities

that are not relevant to them.


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If we want to understand and design for the world

as it is, not the world as forecast, we need to

understand how this multi-functionality benefits

users.


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The dream of ubicomp has already become a

reality in the form of the mobile device.


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The mobile device is used in ways that describe

the real but messy ubicomp.


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Mobile devices are popular exactly because of

their multiple functions.


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The presence of multiple functions has become

more important than the design of the interfaceused to access them.


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Even with similar devices and when using same

applications and functions people still use their

mobile devices in unique ways which are adjustedto specific contexts.


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Flexibility is paramount.


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People find creative ways of adapting less suitable

technology for their needs by mixing applicationsin ways that designers could not imagine.


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People do not see their mobile device as fun but

instead as a Swiss Army knife or as a loyal dogwhich does exactly what it is asked to do.


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Technology is rarely perfect.


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It almost always fails in some way.


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Mobile device use is an exercise in overcoming

absences.


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The real usage experience is full of seams in

contrast to the seamless vision of ubicomp.


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However these seams are negotiated with ease

and users easily learn how to work around them.


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On the other hand, improvements in hardware can

also be seen as a way of overcoming or removingthe seams in the user experience.


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Thus, this is can be seen as a two-way process.


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The messiness of ubicomp is handled through

adjustment of both technology and practices.


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Users do not perceive their actions as messy or

effortful in any way.


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People are not generally conscious of navigating

the seams of technology.


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People solve problems utilizing a bag of tricks

approach by finding the right combination of toolsto fit the situation.


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Mobile devices just as other technology need to

be tended to, maintained, kept alive, charged andcared for.


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Yet people still feel that the devices add

smoothness to their lives, possibly because

smoothness is still present in the form of theintegration of many functions of a single device.


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The mobile device is very far from the notion of a

disappearing computer.


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On the other hand all a user needs to do is just

sign in to his Google, iCloud or Windows Live

account and any device will be restored to thesame settings and selection of applications.

Non-Ubicomp Ubicomp


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Non Ubicomp

Characteristics

Ubicomp

Characteristics

Sophisticated hardware

and industrial design

Content is more

important

Highly personalizedCan be easily restored

from the cloud

Initially very expensive Price drops very fast


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The actual uses of ubicomp are about dealing with

and taking advantage of the unintended seams intechnology.


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Although the mobile device is in no way invisible it

still constitutes a connection to all realms ofpeoples lives.


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Transparency and seamlessness is not achieved in

smooth use of the mobile device but instead in

combining everyday applications and tasks on asingle device with the possibilities offered by a

portfolio of services.


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The ways in which people tend to use

technologies makes it very difficult to make any

predictions and thus apply a user-centered designapproach to understand the users and their needs.


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The sum of the parts and their assemblability is

more important than the whole.


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Conclusion


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Ubiquitous computing has become a reality in the

form of the mobile device.


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Yet it very difficult to understand its true nature, as

a mobile device has both ubicomp and non-ubicomp characteristics.


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People use mobile devices in unique and

unpredictable ways and rely heavily onopportunistic interaction opportunities.


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This makes the interaction designers work very

difficult if not almost impossible as it is hard to

guess how an interface will be used and what willbe its perceived usefulness.


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We are only just beginning to explore the

capabilities of mobile devices and it is clear thatthe most interesting possibilities are yet to come.


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Ubiquitous Mobile

Interactions


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Research Problem


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The research problem can be seen in the fact that

there is different information available in different

contexts and with various interfaces for variousdevices.


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There exists a need to integrate available

interaction opportunities together to provide abetter user experience.


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These interaction opportunities can be abstracted

into a concept of a ubiquitous information layer.


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Research Goals


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The primary goal of this research is to contribute

to the understanding of how an already available

but not easily accessible information layer can beaccessed via mobile devices.


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Also the aim is to explore how this information

layer can help better realize the potential of mobiledevices.


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Research Questions


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Can mobile devices be the premier interface to the

emerging ubiquitous information environment?


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In what ways can a ubiquitous information

environment contribute to the realization of thepotential of mobile devices?


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The Layers Approach

InformationLaye

StudiesInformation

SystemUniversityWebsite

SchedulingInformation

System


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er

IntegrationLayer

Device

Layer

Web Service

ContextualInformation

mTLUMobile Client


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This model has several shortcomings.


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It closely mimics the classic 2-level hierarchy of

mobile computing with a server and a client.


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It fails to take into account the existence of

various interaction opportunities as well as the

user and his goals which are supposed to be atthe center of any ubiquitous computing system.


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Thus, a new model needed to be proposed.


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The Interaction

Opportunities Approach


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A new model should consider the users goal as a

primary factor.


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The technology should thus aim to support the

user in achieving that goal in the shortest amountof time and with minimal cognitive load.


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It should also consider various interaction

opportunities found in the ubiquitous information

environment and connect them together as ameans of providing an optimal way for the user to

achieve his goal.


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The mobile device should work as an interface to

the ubiquitous information layer, chiefly because it

is always carried around by the user and is alreadyconsidered an invaluable tool in providing the user

with information anytime and anywhere.

User


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Goal

Mobile

Device

Person

Person

Person

QR Code

RFID Tag

Information

Source

TimeContext

UserContext

Computing Con

text

Physical

Context

Information

Source

MobileDevice

MobileDevice

Ubiquito

usInformationLayer

Information

Source


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Next Steps


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Next steps include identifying case studies, where

this model can be employed and tested.


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Currently these case studies include the mTLU,

mDSpace and m.eesti.ee research projects.


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Conclusion


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A theoretical framework was proposed in order to

better understand how a ubiquitous information

layer can be made accessible via mobile devices

and how it can contribute to realizing the mobile

devices potential.


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Closing Remarks


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Information society is a new mode of human

existence in which information plays a central role

in ensuring the well-being of society.


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Technology needs to evolve to support people in

their increased reliance on information.


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Ubiquitous computing provides a possible answer.


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The mobile device can be considered the first

tangible example of a working mainstream

ubiquitous computing solution, however its fullpotential is yet to be discovered.


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This work proposes a theoretical framework to

better understand the interaction of mobile

devices with the ubiquitous information layer and

how this can be used to support the user in

achieving his goals.


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This model needs to applied in specific case

studies in order to prove its relevance.

Documents

Mobile Devices in Information Society