Context-Aware Communication
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Transcript of Context-Aware Communication
Context-Aware Communication
Patrick Malatack
Key Idea
• Communication is a killer app for ubicomp• Example activities:
– Staying in touch– Coordinating with friends and family– Being aware of activities of friends and family
• Non-ubicomp evidence– Popularity of Social Networking web sites– Popularity of sharing sites– Popularity of Blogs / Message boards
Problems with Keeping in Touch• Irrelevant messages
– Vacation mail, surveys, junk email• Interruptions
– During meetings, concerts, movies, dinner, driving• Lack of awareness on callee side
– Phone tag, time zone issue (oops!)• Information overload
– Can make it hard to find useful messages (ex. delayed flight)• Device overload
– Fax, email, landline phone, mobile phone, IM
Readings• Context Aware Computing
– 2002, looked at field of context-aware communication specifically and attempted to define and characterize field.
– Presented history of devices and inventions in the field– Articulated design principles for C-A Communication
• Social Disclosure of Place: From Location Technology to Communication Practices– 2005, designed, developed, evaluated a system for
disclosing you location to other people based on user defined settings
– Out of PlaceLab
Context-Aware Communication• Main idea:
– Use sensors and other pieces of context…– to improve awareness of and communication with others…– while minimizing overload, irrelevancy, and interruptions
“C-A Comm” Working Definition• “C-A Communication” applications apply knowledge
of people’s context (and activities) to reduce person-to-person communication barriers
• C-A Communication is subset of C-A Computing– Does not include, e.g., control of environment, or apps that
filter information about nearby restaurants and printers• Information versus communication
– Is the chirping Lovegety an information or communication device?
• Article takes broad view of communication
Context-Aware Comm Dimensions
Less Common Sense
Less
Priv
acy
C-A Communication Research
Grouped by application types
• Routing• Addressing• Messaging• Caller Awareness• Screening
directing communication to nearby & appropriate devices
• Following Callers on PARC’s Etherphone System• Olivetti’s Active Badge Aiding a Telephone Receptionist• Ubiquitous Message Delivery
Routing
PARC Etherphone (Swinehart, et al. 1987)
• 50 Etherphones• Location registered by
– Logging in– “Visiting”
• Distinctive ring tones
• Etherphone 1– Autonomous routing (action)– Manual sensing
• Etherphone 2– Autonomous routing (action)– Autonomous sensing
• More brittle• New defaults for visitors
1 2
ORL Active Badge “Aid to a receptionist” (Want & Hopper 1992)
• Infrared emitting badges and network of receivers
• Initial application was an “Aid for a telephone receptionist”
• Give a person info for tracking down callee
• Receptionist 1– Autonomous sensing– Manual routing
• Receptionist 2– Autonomous sensing– Autonomous routing
• Less intelligent• People wanted to control based on who
they were with, where they are, etc. -> more work
targeting communication at appropriate people
• Context-Aware Mailing List• PARCTAB Virtual Whiteboard
Addressing
Context-Aware Mailing List(Dey, Abowd & Salber 2001)
• In-out board using iButton RF tags• Dynamic e-mail list for directing
email to people who are in the building– “let’s get lunch”– “talk in 5 minutes”
• C-A Mailing List– Triggered autonomous action– (could be) Autonomous sensing
providing the right message at the right time
• Contextual Reminder Messages in CybreMinder• MIT’s Active Messenger
Messaging
CybreMinder(Dey 2000)• To-do items associated
with location and context• Can be sent to other
people• Context include “forecast is
for rain and Bob is leaving home.”
• CybreMinder– Autonomous sensing– Autonomous action
(delivery)
Providing Awareness
• Awareness with AwareNex• Audio Aura• Triggering Real World
Meetings with Roomotes• LoveGety
Allows others to determineavailability to talk
Erfolg’s LoveGety (Awareness)• A Japanese toy (circa 1998) for
meeting people, beeps when a compatible partner is nearby.
• Detects other devices in a 15 foot range and “bleep”
• Blue and Pink models (blue only responds to pink and vice versa)
• 3 Modes:– Chat mode: if you're interested in
meeting someone for conversation– Karaoke mode: if you're looking
for a "playmate," – Get-get mode: for those looking to
move straight away into something a bit more intimate.
Many spinoffs likeParty Bapp-X andMedia Lab’s Meme Tag
Audio Aura(Mynatt 1999)
• Auditory cues as people walk around an office place
• Going to an empty office creates an audio cue about how long it has been empty
• A “group pulse” if people are meeting– Automated sensing– Little automated
communication
Users determine wether or not they want to talk
• Calls.Calm making Caller-Callee Calm• Context-Call
Screening
Calls.Calm (Pedersen 2001)
• Calls.Calm uses web phones to mediate communication with subscribers.
• A person (a) selects who to call and • (b) is greeted by the callees contact page contextualized and
customized for the caller; or if the caller is unknown, • (c) a generic page.
5 Design Considerations
1. Improving relevance– Deciding when a communication is relevant to the person’s
current (or near future) situation. – For example, getting notification about an email from your
travel agent regarding itinerary changes while packing to leave for the airport.
2. Minimizing disruption3. Improving awareness4. Reducing overload5. Selecting channels
5 Design Considerations
1. Improving relevance2. Minimizing disruption
– Deciding when and how to notify people that they have a communication.
– For example, your phone should vibrate and not ring, when you are at the symphony (unless it is truly urgent).
3. Improving awareness4. Reducing overload5. Selecting channels
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5 Design Considerations
1. Improving relevance2. Minimizing disruption3. Improving awareness
– Deciding what information and mechanisms can help people make intelligent communication decisions.
– For example, the caller should be told you are at the movies before the call goes through.
4. Reducing overload5. Selecting channels
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5 Design Considerations
1. Improving relevance2. Minimizing disruption3. Improving awareness4. Reducing overload
– Deciding how to reduce the number of communications that don’t apply given your context.
– For example, filtering out emails about going to lunch when you are away from the office (or already at lunch).
5. Selecting channels
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5 Design Considerations
1. Improving relevance2. Minimizing disruption3. Improving awareness4. Reducing overload5. Selecting channels
– Deciding which communication device should be used to get in touch with somebody.
– For example, routing calls to your home phone instead of your cell phone when you are at home and cellular reception is poor.
Social Disclosure of Place• Reno
– J2me application– Nokia 6600– Cell tower based
location estimation
– Always on– “avoid real privacy
threats”– Minimize
deployment barriers
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Social Disclosure of Place• Study design
– 8 members– Project members or
families– 5 were members of
the team– Disclosure based on
relationship– Accidental
disclosures occurred– 8 disclosures a day
on average
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are needed to see this picture.