Author(s):

Burrell, Jenna; Gay, Geri, K.; Kubo, Kiyo; Farina, Nick

Title:

Context-Aware Computing: A Test Case

Publication:

Ubicomp 2002: Ubiquitous Computing 4 th International Conference

Keywords:

appeal; attention; collaborative systems: context-aware computing; distraction; effectiveness; enjoyment; ethnographic study; field studies; handheld computing; impact and side effects; interaction; interruption; invisibility; location-aware services; mobile computing; predictability of application behavior; scalability; self-reporting; social acceptance; transparency; user control; user evaluation; utility; value

Paper Summary:

The Campus Aware project is a PDA-based tour guide that displays text notes about locations on the Cornell Campus. As users walk around campus, a small beep alerts users that notes are available based on their location. Users are encouraged to add their own notes and to use the system to learn more about the campus.

The authors describe the results from an initial round of user testing which shows that the handheld devices can be distracting to users. In fact, the study illustrated that users spent a great deal of time looking at the device instead of their surroundings. Regardless of the distracting nature, participants liked the social aspects of content created by other students and faculty members.

The study also that the system lacked orientation features, making it difficult to predict notes and determine which building a note was referring to. The authors also cite scalability as a challenge to consider as the system grows.

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