Context-Aware Communication

1. Context-Aware Communication Patrick Malatack

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. “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

7. Context-Aware Comm Dimensions Less Privacy Less Common Sense

8. C-A Communication Research Grouped by application types • Routing • Addressing • Messaging • Caller Awareness • Screening

9. directing communication to nearby & appropriate devices Routing • Following Callers on PARC’s Etherphone System • Olivetti’s Active Badge Aiding a Telephone Receptionist • Ubiquitous Message Delivery

10. 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 PARC Etherphone (Swinehart, et al. 1987)

11. 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 ORL Active Badge “Aid to a receptionist”(Want & Hopper 1992)

12. Addressing targeting communication at appropriate people • Context-Aware Mailing List • PARCTAB Virtual Whiteboard

13. Context-Aware Mailing List(Dey, Abowd & Salber 2001) • In-out board using iButton RF tags • Dynamic e-mail list for directingemail 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

14. Messaging providing the right message at the right time • Contextual Reminder Messages in CybreMinder • MIT’s Active Messenger

15. 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)

16. Providing Awareness • Awareness with AwareNex • Audio Aura • Triggering Real World Meetings with Roomotes • LoveGety Allows others to determine availability to talk

17. 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 like Party Bapp-X andMedia Lab’s Meme Tag

18. 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

19. Users determine wether or not they want to talk Screening • Calls.Calm making Caller-Callee Calm • Context-Call

20. 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.

21. 5 Design Considerations • 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. • Minimizing disruption • Improving awareness • Reducing overload • Selecting channels

22. 5 Design Considerations • Improving relevance • 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). • Improving awareness • Reducing overload • Selecting channels

23. 5 Design Considerations • Improving relevance • Minimizing disruption • 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. • Reducing overload • Selecting channels context-aware communication

24. 5 Design Considerations • Improving relevance • Minimizing disruption • Improving awareness • 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). • Selecting channels context-aware communication

25. 5 Design Considerations • Improving relevance • Minimizing disruption • Improving awareness • Reducing overload • 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. context-aware communication

26. Social Disclosure of Place • Reno • J2me application • Nokia 6600 • Cell tower based location estimation • Always on • “avoid real privacy threats” • Minimize deployment barriers

27. 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