Akihiko Obata

OfficeWalker: a virtual visiting system based on proxemics

We propose an interaction model for video mediati communication Syskrns that support infod communication among distribute groups. We focused on two issues raisti in previous research, the problem of intrusiveness that occurs when a c~er #antes at a recipient prior to conversation, and the fdure of facfitating unintended interactions witi unexpected partners. The proposal model addresses these problems by introducing “interaction~ distance” among users. We developed our prototype system that embodied this model, and examined these problems by conducting a user ex~erimen~ We confirmd that the problem of intrusiveness was reduc@ and unintended interactions were parti~y suppoti Ke~ords hformrd communication, video, awareness, #ante, privacy l~RODUC~ON There is much interest for system that use video connections to facfitate infocommunication among members of distribute oreations that occurs effotiessly among people in proximity. Several literatures demonstrated the importan~ of informrd communication for collaborative work ~uq et d. pointed out the role of info~ conmmnication for generating co~aborative relationships [11]. Issac, et rd. reported that people get essential information rnairdy through inforrnrd communication [10]. It is widely reported that most interactions in the working environment take place when people meet each other by chance [12][21]. Numerous experiments have been conducted to evaluate video conmmnication as a technology for supporting infoti communications [45,6,7,13,19,20]. These systems used video ~ for ch~king avtiabtity of recipients prior to conversations, and as triggers of unintended interactions. However, many problems remain unsolved with these system. Perntision to make di~tal or hard wpies of all orpart of tils \vork for personal or cl=oom use is wti ~~ithoutfee protided that qies are not made or dism%utedfor profit or cornmmcialadvmtige and that copiesbear this notice and the foil citation on the first page TOcopY otimtise to republish, to post on semre=or to rediim%ute to ~its, Tquir= prior spwific permission and:or a f= CSCIV 98 Seattle l?7ashin@on ~SA Cop~tigktAChl 1998 1-5S1134094/98/11 .-

Extraction of viewpoints for eliciting customer's requirements based on analysis of specification change records

5.00 basti@flab.fijitsu.co.jp k this paper, we first review issues raised in previous reseach, and focus on two problems, the problem of intrusiveness that occurs when a ctier glances at a recipient prior to conversation, and tie fdure of facilitating unintended interactions with unexpected partners. Then, we propose an interaction model that would solve these problems by introducing “interactionrd distance” among users in the network People usu~y communicate with others from a distance that is appropriate to their mutual relationshipWe claim that the problem of intrusiveness is caused by e~ating the sense of distance that affords appropriate behavior and social norms. Glancing at a recipient prior to a conversation from the same d~tance as that used when starting a conversation urges the recipient to respond. The sense of distance as conveyed by 3D images [3,14] is meanin#ws when recipients are not getting involved in activities of the virtual world. We tried to introduce the sense of distance into the network by creating pubfic places and privab placesA ctier approaches a recipient horn a pubfic place instead of direcfly intruding into tie private place of the recipienL Encounters in public places may afford behaviors We greeting each other, or simply ignoring, but do not afford any socird imperative to start a conversation. A cder dso has the opportunity to encounter the neighbors of a recipient in these pubfic places. We present our prototype system, ctied OfficeW*er, which incorporates this model, and we dso examine the problem of intrusiveness ad the behavior of unintended @tractions over the network We conclude this paper with a discussion of what we learned from our experirnen~ and point out issues for future study. OVERVIEWMODEL VS. HALLWAY MODEL Previous research methodologies can be classified into an overview and a h~way model. Overview model systems [4,6,13] simulate a virtual room by providing a matrix of slowly scanned continuous video images of each member. User experiments provided anecdotrd evidence of unintended interactions in these systems [6]. However, some people feel uncomfortable about having their video image broadcast without knowing who is watching, since these systems do not no@ who is currenfly looking at a

Challenges of participatory design for social innovation a case study in aging society

Eliciting customers requirements is the most important issue for a system integration project. Failure to elicit the customers requirements can cause an enormous correction cost. However there are only a few practical, concrete guidelines to do. In this paper, we describe a method to extract viewpoints and checklists for eliciting customers requirements more effectively based on analyzing specification change records. The flow of the method is 1) representing the records in an easy-readable format, 2) identifying the causes and the phases, 3) categorizing them, 4) putting a name to a category, namely a viewpoint and 5) deriving check-items for each viewpoint. We applied the method to 135 records from 4 system development cases, and we derived 39 check-items in total. We found 78% of the specification change cases could have been prevented by only 10 check-items of requirements elicitation process. This result shows that the proposed method works effectively to extract the viewpoints for eliciting customers requirements.

Video and shared whiteboards for cooperative problem solving

The purpose of the paper is to further our understanding of conditions for participatory design (PD). We base our reflections on an ongoing project to develop new ICT concepts for social innovation to mitigate consequences of the aging society as faced by a Japanese city. MUST was chosen since it is a PD method that has been successfully applied in commercial contexts in the US and in Scandinavia. However, we found that social innovation is a complex new territory for PD, both as to project management issues and in terms of conditions for applying tools and techniques for participatory analysis and design. Especially, we found that identifying and adequately engaging stakeholders to be problematic. The diverse set of user groups, potential customers, and IT-developers could not all be defined at the start. This calls for a different type of iteration than the MUST method suggests. Further, the method presumes the involved stakeholders to be able to spend more time in the project than the stakeholders in this project could commit to.

The human interface in a multifunctional communication terminal

The paper describes an experiment for evaluating how cooperative activity with a remote partner is affected by adding a video channel or a shared whiteboard to conventional audio communication. The result of the experiment showed subjects in the video conditions tended to trust their partners opinions easily without discussing them sufficiently for both to reach a similar level of confidence, and completed tasks within the given time limit. Shared whiteboards did not speed up task completion, but lead to longer discussions.

THE HUMAN INTERFACE IN A MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION TERMINAL

An intelligent human interface for a multimedia communication terminal, the Imagephone, is presented. Its adaptive user interface control system (which adjusts the timing of messages to the users ability) and its object-oriented software are described. The interface of the Imagephone proved efficient for a small communications terminal, but there is room for expansion. The object-oriented approach was found to be very effective. Use of C and a general-purpose operating system make the step from prototype to a commercial product a simple one. >

Agent-Based Social Simulation as an Aid to Communication Between Stakeholders

New multimedia communication networks such as ISDN and office Automation communication systems are being rapidly introduced into existing communication networks. Easy-to-use human interfaces are important to bring out the full potential of these advanced networks. This paper describes the human interface in a multimedia communication terminal, the Image Station.

The present condition and problems for elderly people participating in communities

Various methods provided in conventional agent-based social simulation (ABSS) research are useful for modelers and analysts in evaluating its effectiveness. We know very little about how ABSS contributes to the decision-making process for practical business problems when used by managers and employees who are not familiar with it. In this research we talked to stakeholders in two complex and uncertain business situations about using the simulation results with our models. We found that ABSS helped to promote communication between stakeholders.

Action support method and apparatus

The proportion of aged citizens in Japan has been growing and has reached the highest proportion in the world (23.1% in October, 2010 [1]). The time when we need to tackle the social welfare problem of an aging society has arrived. It has been reported that social welfare services are insufficient to reach all people who need help, resulting in 32000 lonely deaths in a single year [2]. It is difficult to solve the problem only by reforming formal care systems under conditions where the number of senior citizens is increasing and the number of younger citizens is decreasing. Community activity that supports elderly citizens is important when the proportion of aged citizens is increasing to prevent overreliance on formal care. The idea named PPK(pin-pin-korori [3]) thus emerged. This is the idea that the number of people requiring long-term care can be decreased by increasing the number of active senior citizens.