Didier Chincholle

Research in the large. using app stores, markets, and other wide distribution channels in Ubicomp research

The mobile phones that people use in their daily lives now run advanced applications and come equipped with sensors once only available in custom hardware in UbiComp research. At the same time application distribution has become increasingly simple due to the proliferation of app stores and the like. Evaluation and research methods have to be adapted to this new context to get the best data and feedback from wide audiences. However, an overview of successful strategies to overcome research challenges inherent to wide deployment is not yet available. App store platform characteristics, devices, reaching target users, new types of evaluation data and dynamic, heterogeneous usage contexts have to be dealt with. This workshop provides a forum for researchers and developers to exchange experiences and strategies for wide distribution of applications. We aim at building an understanding of the opportunities of various distribution channels and obstacles involved in a research context.

Motivational profiles of toolkit users - iPhone and Android developers

Toolkits for development and distribution of mobile applications can potentially influence the ecosystem for mobile services. While these toolkits began to surface in the late 1990s, it was not until 2008, when Apple launched its App Store, that their potential became more visible. For these toolkits to create value to all the different stakeholders, we need to understand these innovation milieus and their inhabitants, areas that are becoming increasingly important yet under-researched in the literature. In this paper, we address the questions of who the pioneering users of the Apple and Android owned toolkits are, what attracted them to the mobile application market, and what affected their choice of platform for mobile application development. Emerging from the analysis are four different developer profiles of early adopters of the Android and iPhone platforms.

Crafting the mobile experience

This tutorial provides a deep insight into the issues that surround the development of mobile services, including the mobile user, the target device, the user experience and the mobile network supporting the delivery of services. The emphasis is on developing skills through methods and techniques that can be used to approach these issues from an interaction design point of view. The tutorial combines lectures segments, demonstrations and videos with hands-on exercises and group discussions. The content of the tutorial is based on several years experience gained through the research and development of mobile services at two of the mobile industrys largest companies.