Anu Kankainen

Understanding mobile contexts

Mobile urban environments present a challenge for context-aware computers because they differ from fixed indoor contexts such as offices, meeting rooms, and lecture halls in many important ways. Internal factors such as tasks and goals are different—external factors such as social resources are dynamic and unpredictable. An empirical, user-centred approach is needed to understand mobile contexts. In this paper, we present insights from an ethnomethodologically inspired study of 25 adult urbanites in Helsinki. The results describe typical phenomena in mobility: how situational and planned acts intermesh in navigation, how people construct personal and group spaces, and how temporal tensions develop and dissolve. Furthermore, we provide examples of social solutions to navigation problems, examine mobile multitasking, and consider design implications for mobile and context-aware human–computer interaction.

UCPCD: user-centered product concept design

Traditional user-centered methodologies have been developed for system-level and detailed-level design and not for concept-level design. This paper discusses thinking models and user-centered practices useful in the earliest phase of product developmentóproduct concept design.

Storytelling Group – a co-design method for service design

In this article, we will introduce a co-design method called Storytelling Group that has been developed and tested in three service design cases. Storytelling Group combines collaborative scenario building and focus group discussions. It inspires service design by providing different types of user information: a fictive story of a customer journey is created to illustrate a ‘what if’ world, users tell real-life stories about their service experiences, users come up with new service ideas, and they are also asked about their opinions and attitudes in a focus-group type of discussion. The method was developed for service design cases where a longer time perspective has an important role. Moreover, the method is a quick start for actual design work but still includes users in the process.

Design ideas for everyday mobile and ubiquitous computing based on qualitative user data

Academic research in mobile and ubiquitous computing has been mainly technology-driven. There is not enough understanding on what everyday needs are related to future mobile and ubiqitous computing. In this paper we will demonstrate that qualitative user data can be successfully utilized in designing for everyday activities of largely neglected user groups like the elderly. We will show how ethnographically based research can benefit the innovation of product concepts.