Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

From ethnography on infrastructure management to initial user feedback on PlaceMemo

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper reports design requirements derived from an ethnographic fieldwork on road inspectors, the design of a mobile service supporting infrastructure management, and initial user feedback. Seeing that the road inspectors are truly mobile, acting in vast settings full of objects with variable status, they lack overview of their upcoming tasks. The PlaceMemo prototype allows them to place geographically coupled voice annotations in their work setting. The voice memos are played through their entire length before reaching the precise position of the recording, and are also accessible when being geographically distant. By handing out the prototype to a number of users, we successfully demonstrate that this lightweight context-aware system facilitates their mobile work. They obtain an overview supporting the advance preparation of inspection tours, and can easily access earlier recordings while driving, in order to be reminded and to prepare stops in time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dourish P (2001) Where the action is: the foundations of embodied interaction. MIT Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  2. Esbjörnsson M, Juhlin O (2002) PlaceMemo --- supporting mobile articulation in a vast working area through position based information. In: Proceedings of ECIS 2002, pp 1185–1196

  3. Sellen AJ, Harper R (2002)The myth of the paperless office. MIT Press, cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kaptelinin V (1996) Creating computer-based work environments: an empirical study of Macintosh users. In: Proceedings of the SIGCPR/SIGMIS conference on Computer personnel research. ACM Press, New York, pp 360–366

  5. Luff P, Hindmarsh J, Heath C (2000) Workplace studies --- recovering work practice and informing system design. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sherry J, Salvador T (2002) Running and grimacing: the struggle for balance in mobile work. In: Brown B, Green N, Harper R (eds) Wireless world: social and interactional aspects of the mobile age. Springer, Berlin Heldelberg New York, pp 108–120

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dourish P (2004) What we talk about when we talk about context. Pers Ubiquitous Comput 8(1):19–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kjeldskov J, Graham C (2003) A review of mobile hci research methods. In: Proceedings of the 5th international mobile HCI. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 317–335

  9. Kleinrock L (1998) Nomadicity: anytime, anywhere in a disconnected world. Mobile Netw Appl 1(4): 351–357

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bellotti V, Bly S (1996) Walking away from the desktop computer: distributed collaboration and mobility in a product design team. In: Proceedings of CSCW. ACM Press, New York, pp 209–218

  11. Luff P, Heath C (1998) Mobility in collaboration. In: Proceedings CSCW. ACM Press, New York, pp 305–314

  12. Bertelsen OW, Bødker S (2001) Cooperation in massively distributed information spaces. In: Proceedings of ECSCW. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 1–18

  13. Nilsson J, Sokoler T, Binder T, Wetcke N (2000) Beyond the control room --- mobile devices for spatially distributed interaction on industrial process. In: Proceedings of HUC, pp 30–45

  14. Pinelle D, Gutwin C (2003) Designing for loose coupling in mobile groups. In: Proceedings of Group. ACM Press, New York, pp 75–84

  15. Juhlin O, Vesterlind D (2001) Supporting bus driver collaboration: new services for public transport management. In: Proceedings of 8th ITS World Congress. CD-ROM

  16. Orr J (1996) Talking about machines --- an ethnography of a modern job. ILR Press, Cornell

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kristoffersen S, Ljungberg F (1999) Making place to make IT work: empirical explorations of HCI for mobile CSCW. In: Proceedings of GROUP. ACM Press, New York, pp 276–285

  18. Johansson M, Pettersson M (2001) Activity and artifact: the symbiosis of truck drivers work and navigational systems. In: Proceedings of Interact. IOS Press, New York, pp 309–406

  19. Abowd GD, Atkeson CG, Hong J, Long S, Kooper R, Pinkerton M (1997) Cyberguide: a mobile context-aware tour guide. Wireless Netw 3(5):421–433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Marmasse N, Schmandt C (2000) Location-aware information delivery with comMotion. In: Proceedings of HUC pp 157–171

  21. Cheverst K, Davies N, Mitchell K, Friday A, Efstratiou C (2000) Developing a context-aware electronic tourist guide: some issues and experiences. In: Proceedings of CHI. ACM Press, New York, pp 17–24

  22. Dey AK, Abowd GD (2000) CybreMinder: a context-aware system for supporting reminders. In: Proceedings of HUC, pp 172–186

  23. Espinoza F, Persson P, Sandin A, Nyström H, Cacciatore E, Bylund M (2001) GeoNotes: social and navigational aspects of location-based information systems. In: Proceedings of Ubicomp. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 2–17

  24. Pascoe J, Ryan N, Morse D (2000) Using while moving: HCI issues in fieldwork environments. ACM Transact Comput-Hum Interact 7(3): 417–437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Grinter RE, Aoki PM, Hurst A, Szymanski MH, Thornton JD, Woodruff A (2002) Revisiting the visit: understanding how technology can shape the museum visit. In: Proceedings of CSCW. ACM Press, New York, pp 146–155

  26. Persson P, Espinoza F, Fagerberg P, Sandin A, Cöster R (2002) GeoNotes: a location-based information system for public spaces. In: Höök K, Benyon D, Munro A (eds) Readings in social navigation of information space. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 151–173

  27. Esbjörnsson M, Juhlin O, Östergren M (2004) Traffic encounters and hocman - associating motorcycle ethnography with design. J Pers Ubiquitous Comput 8(2): 92–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Esbjörnsson M, Juhlin O (2003) Combining mobile phone conversations and driving --- studying a mundane activity in its naturalistic setting. In: Proceedings of ITS World Congress. Ertico, CD-ROM

  29. Laurier E (2002) Notes on dividing the attention of a car driver. Team Ethno Online

Download references

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Anton Gustafsson for developing the prototype. I would also like to thank Oskar Juhlin, Mattias Östergren, Liselott Brunnberg, Daniel Normark, Ola Henfridsson, and Magnus Andersson for their comments on early drafts. This research was supported by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and Bergendahls stiftelse.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mobility, The Interactive Institute, P.O. Box 24081, 104 50, Stockholm, Sweden

    Mattias Esbjörnsson

Authors
  1. Mattias Esbjörnsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mattias Esbjörnsson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Esbjörnsson, M. From ethnography on infrastructure management to initial user feedback on PlaceMemo. Pers Ubiquit Comput 10, 195–204 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-005-0041-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-005-0041-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation