Investigating collaborative media beyond work

1. Investigating collaborative media beyond work IMD09120: Collaborative Media Brian Davison 2010/11

2. Beyond work • Presenting statistical results • Convergence • Cooperation at home • Cooperation for fun

3. Nowak, Watt and Walther (2009) • H1: Groups using media with fewer cues have higher co-presence than groups using media with more cues. • H3: Synchronous media produce greater co-presence than asynchronous media. • Participants: students • Task: producing a group presentation for marks • IV1: Synchrony (synchronous / asynchronous) • IV2: Richness: (high-cue, low-cue) • Between subjects design • ANOVA

4. 2x2 factorial design • 2x2 means “2 levels by 2 levels” • ie. 2 IVs with two levels each

5. Results Hypotheses 1 and 3 both offered predictions for media effects on copresence. … The hypotheses were tested simultaneously in an omnibus mixed ANOVA test including the interaction of cue systems and synchrony. First, we tested the prediction for effects on the perceived partner copresence variable. Each of the hypothesized variables achieved significance; the main effect for number of cues was significant, F(1, 127) = 11.84, p = .001, as was the synchrony main effect, F(1, 128) = 6.55, p = .012. In support of H1, groups using media with more cues felt lower partner copresence (M = 51.26, SE = 1.37) than groups using media with fewer cues (M = 55.76, SE = 1.45). H3 found support, as synchronous media effected greater partner copresence (M = 55.03, SE = 1.37) than did asynchronous media (M = 51.80, SE = 1.45).

6. Reporting • Recap the hypothesis • Sample size (N=62) • Which test are you using? • Significant or not? • Give the relevant statistic… • ANOVA: F(1, 127)=… - F(between-groups df, within-groups df) • T-test: t(54)=… - t(df) • … and related probability: p<0.05, p=0.35 • eg. The results of an independent t-test showed a significant effect for the presence of avatars, t(12)=5.43, p<0.05 • http://my.ilstu.edu/~jhkahn/apastats.html

7. Types of research • Quantitative • Collect numerical data • Analyse with statistics • Often experimental • Could be surveys • Usually aims to be representative • Qualitative • “Other” types of data • Typically words/text • May be images, artefacts, etc. • Ethnography, interview, etc. • Often exploratory

8. Convergence in mobile devices • Murphy et al. (2005) The Converged Appliance: I love it but I hate it • Perspectives on convergence: • Utopian: more means more • Dystopian: less is more • Hybrid: only up to a point - the ‘usability knee’ • Convergence of functionality and merging of collaborative, work, social and individual purposes

9. Empirical study of convergence and divergence • Use of converged devices by young urban professionals • 6 people, 5 completed the study • Data gathering using ‘cultural probes’ - multi-faceted technique originally popularised by Gaver (1999) to have users collect data themselves on technology-in-use • In this case diary, scrapbook, Polaroid camera, set of catchphrases “prompting the participants to reflect on their use of technology” - used for 4 weeks • Interviews before and after • Analysed for convergence and divergence themes

11. Study results • No neat patterns of convergence or divergence, or support for utopian, dystopian or hybrid perspectives • Reported added value of converged devices • BlackBerry email devices with phone • Phones with cameras and email • Desire for the device which would be good at everything • But frustration with converged devices pushed past the ‘usability knee’ • Poor usability of BlackBerry phone: separate phones used instead, hence problems solved by divergence

12. Convergence-in-use findings • Convergence of different purposes for same device: work, home, leisure (e.g. all on the same PC) • And divergence in use according to purpose • iPods used for music in leisure settings, even though could be done through PDA or phone • In some cases seemed to be done explicitly to demarcate work and leisure • E.g. multiple mobile phones, as well as the iPod example • The position of the ‘usability knee’ seems to change according to purpose (and presumably goals and tasks) • Carrying a highly converged PDA in work hours, but a simple mobile at weekends • A tendency for convergent devices for work and divergent for leisure

13. Collaborative technologies in the home • Technologies for the home change and are changed by domestic social relations • designing for the home can be viewed as ‘a social and political act’ (Bell et al., 2005) • Much of what goes on at home requires, in some sense, cooperation and coordination • We all ‘know’ about home life, so assumptions are invisible • Need to defamilarise the home (Bell)

14. Techniques for investigating the home • Technology biographies • Cultural/technological probes • Sharing domestic activities Supported by • Interviews, usually in situ • Ethnographic observations • Diaries • Artefact collection and narration (remember the studies of camera phones) • Use of techniques woven through the following examples…

15. At home with the technology • O'Brien et al. (1999) At home with the technology: an ethnographic study of a set-top-box trial • “study of the social organization of a number of domestic environments in the northwest of England…the ways in which an understanding of the nature of the home is of interest to the developers of future interactive technology.” • Specifically a set-top digital box for interactive services delivered by broadband(note date is 1999, but the approach remains valid) • A set of “sensitising concerns” for design • 11 households, range of household types, technological experience, etc. • Aim not to be representative, but to obtain a broad understanding of how particular technologies might be used

16. Techniques & topics • Homes are private, so conventional ethnography unacceptable • Evening visits by researchers, taking part in activities and sharing meals • Informal interviews and observations • In conjunction with a trial of the set-top box (STB) • The report discusses, in the context of media technology in general • Daily routines • The ownership and management of domestic space • Co-ordination and interaction

17. F usually gets back at about 2:30/3:00 p.m. and picks C2 up and then starts “the evening”—she then watches children’s TV with C1 when he gets in. Then they eat at about 6:30 when M comes back from work; have dinner together in the kitchen around the table. • M “There’s no conflict [over use of space]. They all do what they’re told! [All laugh]... There could be a possible conflict of interest, but it’s such a big house that if you want to do something and find a hole in which to do it... um, the only conflict arises when we’ve got one television and one hifi stereo system, in a similar area... and that... which is up there... but both of them can actually be plugged into headphones, so if there’s only one person wanting to watch Baywatch [R had joked earlier about his enjoyment of this program]...”

18. The STB trial • Box provided access to film, television, music, radio, games, shopping, local information, timetables, tickets, energy use monitoring, bill-paying, home banking - pin-based security • Issues surfaced • Aesthetics • Control of the technology and its costs • Perceptions and understanding of the technology M “Where’s it all stored, all the past episodes... is it stored in there?” [Points to STB. Fieldworker briefly outlines the infrastructure] F “So you have got virtually infinite storage?” M “So are you paying all the time on all the services on-line?” • Security • Concentration of technology

19. Conclusions • Need for technology which can be exploited in a flexible manner, often in distributed locations • homes and routines are very different • Need for transparent management and control of the technology • Distributed and cooperative nature of domestic live • The importance of social aspects in the adoption of technology • Useful role of ethnography in surfacing these issues

20. Short break

21. Technology biographies • Blythe, M., Monk, A., and Park, J. 2002. Technology biographies: Field study techniques for home use development. CHI’02 Extended Abstracts. • A structured technique for home ethnography

22. Elements of the technology biography • Technology tour • Tour of the house, what technology is used where, why, when, by whom • Also ‘tour’ of PCs • Social and temporal patterns of use • ‘Last time’ questions • E.g. when was the last time you enjoyed a domestic task? • Patterns, routines, disruptions • Personal history • Changes in domestic technology over one’s lifetime • Guided speculation • Hopes and fears for homes of the future • Three wishes • I wish I had…

23. Findings from small pilot study • Labour saving devices do not save time • Housework is no fun • Gendered technology • Privatisation of domestic space • “a move towards a holistic and explicit method that takes the researcher from home visits to provocative illustrative product suggestions” • Used in later studies

24. “Probes” 1 • The interLiving project’s technology probes • Hutchinson et al. (2003) Technology Probes: Inspiring Design for and with Families. • “families from Sweden, France, and the U.S. to design and understand the potential for new technologies that support communication among diverse, distributed, multi-generational families” • Aim to achieve active participation in the design process

25. Cultural probes and technology probes • Gaver et al.’s cultural probes - materials such as disposable cameras and diaries • meant to inspire people to reflect on their lives • interLiving’s technology probes • installing a technology into a real context, watching how it is used over a period; reflecting on use to gather information about the users and inspire ideas for new technologies • Idea is that users will both adapt and adapt to the technology • Not prototypes, but probes • Encountered logistical & technical problems, but all probes used for > 1 month • Other data collection • Families logged use • Interviews • Lo-tech participatory prototyping workshops

26. Message probe • Digital Post-Its in a zoomable space • Written in Java • Synchronous • Writable tablet/pen interface • Connected to small number of family members • No need for address list etc • All could edit each note • All notes visible to everyone

27. The probes deployed • US • 3 families, 6 weeks • Nuclear family + grandparents • Used everyday • Usage • Grandfathers > fathers > children & mothers > grandmothers • Mainly grandparents to/from nuclear family • coordination of childcare • Not considered reliable • Wanted notification of new items • Sweden • Two pairs of sisters & partners/children over several months • Used mainly by sisters (frequently) to complement other communication • Often playful • Messages annotated and re-annotated • Also notification issue, but thought might be intrusive • Overall • “helpful in revealing communication patterns and technology needs and desires”

28. videoProbe • Simple, impromptu image sharing • Snapshots from a (detachable) video camera mounted above a simple display • Could be stored and browsed, faded over time • Attempted - not very successfully - to fit in with the furniture • Installed in homes of pairs of brothers and sisters in France • Used for fun - making faces - and messages - by taking a picture of the message (early results)

29. Conclusions • Revealed directions for further investigation: design for playful or purposeful communication • Need for better means of specifying recipients of communication • Design to augment existing objects • “staying connected with and aware of family was important, but people had different motivations for doing so and wanted to do it in different ways” (!)

30. From ethnography to design • Crabtree et al. (2002) Pattern-based support for interactive design in domestic settings • Means of structuring ethnographic material for use in design • Similar to work-based CSCW Patterns • Alexander’s original idea of a pattern language for architecture, based on the patterns of actions and events that organise people’s interaction with places • Later translated to software analysis and design, becoming very popular • Proposed as a means of dealing with the rich ethnographic data from field studies for computer supported cooperative work

31. The basic idea • Condensed from a much more theory-laden presentation in the original • Using patterns to structure analysis & presentation of the data, but not - at this stage at least - to generalise between studies, because domestic life is so diverse • Aligning research results with “the broad needs of design” • Place-based patterns of action and technology usage

32. Data for the patterns • Video ethnography • 6000 hours of digital video from 16 households • Minimum 10 consecutive days per year over 2 years • Kitchen, childrens’ bedroom and (where available) study • “conducted their affairs without undue concern” - more concerned with getting on • Analysed in detail to identify regularities

33. The patterns themselves • Web-based, allowing multimedia contents • Elements: • Title • Key technologies • Interactional setting • Where and who and what is involved, and related primary pattern • Organizational context • The practical issue addressed • Work of the pattern • Synopsis of activities and transcript • Social practices ordering the work of the pattern • Recurring ways in which things get done • Connecting patterns

36. Comment • The various elements of the patterns seem too undifferentiated for easy use as an analysis tool • The contents and structuring of the patterns are very much in academic sociological terms • Authors’ conclusions: • Importance of legacy technologies in domestic interaction design • Generic patterns of interactional practices may be usefully drawn upon in design of new technologies • A contribution to the development of models of domestic technology use

37. Beyond work … • Major review of CSCW by Crabtree, Rodden and Benford • Published in JCSCW (2005) 14: 217-251 • CSCW emerged with the development of distributed computing and the attempt to understand the social organisation of (cooperative) work • Convergence of technologies – blurring of activity boundaries • Introduction of technology into new environments • Playful pursuits

38. Location-based mixed reality gaming (i) • Based on city streets • Technology comprises: • Players are equipped with handheld or wearable devices • Sensors capture information about the current context including location • Wireless connectivity

39. Games (ii) • Early examples are: • Bot Fighters!http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2002/aug/15/electronicgoods.games • Border Guards from the mixed reality labs in Japan • Pirates! From the interactive Institute in Sweden

40. Games (iii)

41. Can you see me now • Part of the Equator project • A game of chase in real and virtual space • Up to 15 players are chased online… chased by runners in the real world • The chase is in a real city and a virtual model of the city • The runners also see the virtual city on handhelds (Sheffield and Rotterdam)

42. The runners & their kit (I) • Each runner equipped with a Jornada PDA • The runners can see: • The same abstract representation as the players • The position of players and other runners • Runners also communication with the control room via walkie-talkie and text messages • Other physical sounds from the city are communicated • GPS to locate the runners • WiFi for data comms

43. The runners & their kit (II)

44. The players • They interacting with the runners locally or globally • Locally - this centres on the player’s current position as an avatar - similarly other local players • Globally - this allows the players to see the position of more distant players and runners as text labels. • Players can also view and enter text messages and hear audio from either perspective • Ethnographic study of the runners

45. Coordination (seq 1) R2 on walkie-talkie: This is runner 2. I’m back in the game and I’m looking to chase Jules.R2 looks at his Jornada, turns his whole body as he does so, moving the Jornada around with him, to face his left.R2 then sets off inland across a car park in front of him ……R2 on walkie-talkie: This is runner 2. I’m proceeding south through Startrun out onto Otto. There’s a player out on Vern. I’m going that way now.

46. Sweeping the streets (seq 2) R1 on walkie-talkie: runner 1. There are currently a lot of players in the Los Palmas car park. R1 sets off in pursuit of the players. She runs across Los Palmas car park consulting her Jornada again, stopping occasionally to align the real and virtual and moving off in a new direction accordingly. R1’s movements are not random, however, but makes triangular pattern with which she ‘sweeps’ the area. R1 suddenly breaks off from the sweep and heads off across the road towards the Simulation car park. She makes her way across the seafront and then stops.

47. Working with constant interruption • The interruptions including • slow GPS updates, • WiFi outages …

49. “Sequences of runners’ work show not only what sort of technical interruptions impact upon interaction - in this case ‘disconnections’ - and how such interruptions impact upon interaction - but more importantly, they instruct us to the competences involved in managing interruptions” (p.229)

50. Informing the design of ludic pursuits • Routines • Distributed coordination • Constant interruption • Distributed awareness • Surreptitious monitoring