This paper discusses the design and evaluation of an ambient display for an emergency call center. The system was designed and deployed in a Swedish emergency service center where operators field emergency calls, diagnose situations, identify resources and dispatch emergency service personnel.
The operators work in a stressful environment with various screens of information about incoming calls, databases of dispatch information, maps of locations, etc. The company responsible for the call centers contracted with the authors to conduct an ethnographic study to document work practices and suggest solutions to improve work flow.
Based on their observations of work processes, the authors designed "WaterCalls" which is made up of two components: an ambient display with water to display call levels and a graphical interface. The ambient display involves three bowls (representing three different call centers). As a call comes into a center, water is added to the bowl of that center. When a center's bowl is full (illustrating that the call center capacity is at its maximum), call are diverted to another center where call volume is lower. The display enables call center operators to monitor call volume at other centers in order to effectively distribute work load.
In addition to their ethnographic study, the authors supplemented their design knowledge with informal interview and workshops. The authors conclude that "it is not self-evident that ambient media, as exampled by the water part of WaterCalls, is the best way for the emergency service centres."
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