Christine Satchell

Beyond the user: use and non-use in HCI

For many, an interest in Human-Computer Interaction is equivalent to an interest in usability. However, using computers is only one way of relating to them, and only one topic from which we can learn about interactions between people and technology. Here, we focus on not using computers -- ways not to use them, aspects of not using them, what not using them might mean, and what we might learn by examining non-use as seriously as we examine use.

People, content, location: sweet spotting urban screens for situated engagement

A growing body of research is looking at ways to bring the processes and benefits of online deliberation to the places they are about and in turn allow a larger, targeted proportion of the urban public to have a voice, be heard, and engage in questions of city planning and design. Seeking to take advantage of the civic opportunities of situated engagement through public screens and mobile devices, our research informed a public urban screen content application DIS that we deployed and evaluated in a wide range of real world public and urban environments. For example, it is currently running on the renowned urban screen at Federation Square in Melbourne. We analysed the data from these user studies within a conceptual framework that positions situated engagement across three key parameters: people, content, and location. We propose a way to identify the sweet spot within the nexus of these parameters to help deploy and run interactive systems to maximise the quality of the situated engagement for civic and related deliberation purposes.

Pervasive Computing and Environmental Sustainability: Two Conference Workshops

Raising peoples awareness with environmental data and educational information does not necessarily trigger sufficient motivation to change their habits towards a more environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyle. This article reports on two workshops at Pervasive 2008 and UbiComp 2008 that sought to develop a better understanding how to go beyond just informing and into motivating and encouraging action and change. Drawing on participatory culture, ubiquitous computing, and real-time information, participants discussed research and development of viable new design approaches and information interfaces that can strengthen our position to meet the targets of the Kyoto protocol, and contribute to the sustainability of a low-carbon future.

Collective and network sociality in an urban village

Our ongoing research program explores the communicative ecology of urban residents and the way these findings can inform design innovation of interactive web, mobile and geospatial applications and local communication services. This paper presents results of a study within this program that seeks to develop a better understanding of the way residents choose different types of web and mobile technology to oscillate between collective and networked interaction paradigms. The analysis of this data draws out key distinctions between collective and network sociality in place-based settings. It points in the direction of design opportunities for global web services to be translated and appropriated for local use to support everyday connections, place making efforts and participatory urbanism and citizenship.

Welcome to the jungle: HCI after dark

The transformation of urban spaces that occurs once darkness falls is simultaneously exhilarating and menacing, and over the past 20 months we have investigated the potential for mobile technology to help users manage their personal safety concerns in the city at night. Our findings subverted commonly held notions of vulnerability, with the threat of violence felt equally by men and women. But while women felt protected because of their mobile technology, men dismissed it as digital Man Mace. We addressed this macho design challenge by studying remote engineers in outback Australia to inspire our personal safety design prototype MATE.

Cultural theory and real world design: Dystopian and Utopian Outcomes

When exploring a topic as intangible as the construction of mobile social networks it is necessary to look at how relationships are formed and at the way users identify themselves through their interactions. The theoretically informed discourses within cultural theory make an ideal lens for understanding these subtle nuances of use in terms of design. This paper describes a case study where the application of abstract cultural theory concepts to the practical act of analysing qualitative data from a user study resulted in the development of The Swarm mobile phone prototypes. By signposting the intersection of cultural theory within HCI, the value of a philosophically grounded mobile phone design space is highlighted. To uncover reactions to the design we explored the blogs that sprung up critiquing an online version of The Swarm and in doing so, discovered the at times subversive values (such as the need to lie) that users place on their mobile mediated interactions.

Identity crisis: user perspectives on multiplicity and control in federated identity management

Federated identity management systems synthesise complex and fragmented user information into a single entity. Literature from the providers perspective notes this integration extends many benefits to the end user and the privileges provided by digital identity authentication schemes have been well documented from this perspective. Less explored are the perceptions of federation from the users perspective. This study reports an empirical user study that examines the relationship between identity and technology using contextual interviews, focus groups and cultural probes. It emerges that while current federated systems satisfy user needs by allowing the construction of multiple digital data sets that are moored to a central identifier, they fail to provide the user with control over the capability to act in the ‘hatch’, ‘match’ and ‘dispatch’ phases of the digital identity lifecycle. Ultimately, this reduces the users trust in providers and results in reluctance to disclose personal details.

Blogging as ‘therapy’? Exploring personal technologies for smoking cessation

This article presents some early, design-oriented research findings from a study that introduced mobile blogging technologies to four people who wished to make a health-related life change — giving up smoking. We wanted to establish the nature of the relationship between blogging and quitting smoking (if any), inspired by some earlier work in the domain showing that social technologies may help with the quit process. We present an account of three participants, documenting details of how blogging technologies fitted into their (changing) lives and examples of digital content they produced. We describe, using examples from participant blogs, instances of self-expression, replacement and self-awareness. We suggest, despite all participants failing in their quit attempts, that there are possible provisional, therapeutic characteristics to such social technologies. Finally, we suggest this therapeutic process can be understood better through a concept of personal translucence.

Social and mobile interaction design to increase the loyalty rates of young blood donors

Young adults represent the largest group of first time donors to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, but they are also the least loyal group and often do not return after their first donation. At the same time, many young people use the internet and various forms of social media on a daily basis. Web and mobile based technological practices and communication patterns change the way that young people interact with one another, with their families, and communities. Combining these two points of departure, this study seeks to identify best practices of employing mobile apps and social media in order to enhance the loyalty rates of young blood donors. The findings reported in this paper are based on a qualitative approach presenting a nuanced understanding of the different factors that motivate young people to donate blood in the first place, as well as the obstacles or issues that prevent them from returning. The paper discusses work in progress with a view to inform the development of interactive prototypes trialling three categories of features: personal services (such as scheduling); social media (such as sharing the donation experience with friends to raise awareness); and data visualisations (such as local blood inventory levels). We discuss our translation of research findings into design implications.

Lessons from failure: re-conceiving blogging as personal change support

This paper reports on research-driven design of social technologies. It describes an exploratory field study evaluating and re-conceiving blogging technologies - a mobile phone, a mobile blog, a Weblog and synchronization software - to support personal change, in this case quitting smoking. We briefly describe the design of the blogging technologies and summarise the outcomes of their extended use by four people trying to quit smoking in terms of technology usage, domestication and acceptance and, smoking cessation. We then document some notable features of failure, both of the technology and the quit attempts, describing how understanding the nuances and subtleties of failure highlights important design considerations. Finally, we present some methodological and design recommendations emerging from: a design workshop involving the participants in the field study; and a desktop design exercise.