Erika Shehan Poole

Values as lived experience: evolving value sensitive design in support of value discovery

The Value Sensitive Design (VSD) methodology provides a comprehensive framework for advancing a value-centered research and design agenda. Although VSD provides helpful ways of thinking about and designing value-centered computational systems, we argue that the specific mechanics of VSD create thorny tensions with respect to value sensitivity. In particular, we examine limitations due to value classifications, inadequate guidance on empirical tools for design, and the ways in which the design process is ordered. In this paper, we propose ways of maturing the VSD methodology to overcome these limitations and present three empirical case studies that illustrate a family of methods to effectively engage local expressions of values. The findings from our case studies provide evidence of how we can mature the VSD methodology to mitigate the pitfalls of classification and engender a commitment to reflect on and respond to local contexts of design.

Wikis at work: success factors and challenges for sustainability of enterprise Wikis

We examined wiki use in a range of enterprise settings. We found many thriving wikis, but they were a minority of the thousands for which we obtained data. Even an actively used wiki can disappoint some important stakeholders. Careful stakeholder analysis and education may be crucial to successful wiki deployment. We identify a range of success factors, sources of wiki abandonment, and approaches to addressing the challenges. Some of our observations may extend to other social media.

The ins and outs of home networking: The case for useful and usable domestic networking

Householders are increasingly adopting home networking as a solution to the demands created by the presence of multiple computers, devices, and the desire to access the Internet. However, current network solutions are derived from the world of work (and initially the military) and provide poor support for the needs of the home. We present the key findings to emerge from empirical studies of home networks in the UK and US. The studies reveal two key kinds of work that effective home networking relies upon: one, the technical work of setting up and maintaining the home network, and the other, the collaborative and socially organized work of the home which the network is embedded in and supports. The two are thoroughly intertwined and rely upon one another for their realization, yet neither is adequately supported by current networking technologies and applications. Explication of the “work to make the home network work” opens up the design space for the continued integration of the home network in domestic life and elaboration of future support. Key issues for development include the development of networking facilities that do not require advanced networking knowledge, that are flexible and support the local social order of the home and the evolution of its routines, and which ultimately make the home network visible and accountable to household members.

Security automation considered harmful

End-users are often perceived as the weakest link in information security. Because of this perception, a growing body of research and commercial activity is focused on automated approaches to security. With these approaches, security decisions are removed from the hands of the users, and are placed instead in systems themselves, or in remote services or organizations that establish policies that are automatically enforced. We contend that although security automation is potentially beneficial in theory, in practice it is not a panacea for end-user information security. A number of technical and social factors mitigate against the acceptance and efficacy of automated end-user security solutions in many cases. In this paper, we present a discussion of the inherent limitations of automating security for end-users. We then discuss a set of design guidelines for choosing whether to automate end-user security systems. We conclude with a set of research directions focused on increasing the acceptance and efficacy of security solutions for end-users.

Hambone: A Bio-Acoustic Gesture Interface

Mobile input technologies can be bulky, obtrusive, or difficult to use while performing other tasks. In this paper, we present Hambone, a lightweight, unobtrusive system that affords quick access, subtlety, and multitasking capabilities for gesture-based mobile device interaction. Hambone uses two small piezoelectric sensors placed on either the wrist or ankle. When a user moves his hands or feet, the sounds generated by the movement travel to Hambone via bone conduction. Hambone then transmits the signals digitally to a mobile device or computer. The signals are recognized using hidden Markov models (HMMs) and are mapped to a set of commands controlling an application. In this paper, we present the hardware and software implementation of Hambone, a preliminary evaluation, and a discussion of future opportunities in bio-acoustic gesture-based interfaces.

The infrastructure problem in HCI

HCI endeavors to create human-centered computer systems, but underlying technological infrastructures often stymie these efforts. We outline three specific classes of user experience difficulties caused by underlying technical infrastructures, which we term constrained possibilities, unmediated interaction, and interjected abstractions. We explore how prior approaches in HCI have addressed these issues, and discuss new approaches that will be required for future progress. We argue that the HCI community must become more deeply involved with the creation of technical infrastructures. Doing so, however, requires a substantial expansion to the methodological toolbox of HCI.

The Home Network as a Socio-Technical System: Understanding the Challenges of Remote Home Network Problem Diagnosis

Research focused on the user experience of home networking repeatedly finds that householders have difficulties setting up networked equipment. No research to date, however, has studied the in the moment interactions of householders with networking technical support professionals. In this paper, we analyze 21 phone calls to a technical support call center of a home network hardware manufacturer. The phone calls focus on overcoming difficulties during one particular task: adding a wireless router to an existing home network. Our results reaffirm prior studies in remote collaboration that suggest a need to support shared understandings of the problem at hand between remote parties. Our results also suggest that technical properties of the home network and the structure of the home itself complicate the social work of remote diagnosis and repair. In response, we suggest new approaches for remote home network problem diagnosis and repair, including resources for householders to reason about their home networks prior to call placement, and improved methods of inter-organizational information sharing between stakeholders.

Research ethics in the facebook era: privacy, anonymity, and oversight

Ethical standards for human subjects research have not kept up with new research paradigms. Several research areas are particularly problematic for the CHI community. Online social research is testing the boundaries of public observation, third-party disclosure, and anonymization methods. Furthermore, there are differences in norms about what is and is not ethical among various research disciplines studying the Web. This SIG brings together members of the CHI community who are interested in research ethics for studying the Web. We invite seasoned veterans from industry and academia, educators, and newcomers to the field to share their experiences and advice, ask questions, and to form an interest group that can help shape university and corporate best practices for online research.

Please help!: patterns of personalization in an online tech support board

We analyze help-seeking strategies in two large tech support boards and observe a number of previously unreported differences between tech support boards and other types of online communities. Tech support boards are organized around technical topics and consumer products, yet the types of help people seek online are often grounded in deeply personal experiences. Family, holidays, school, and other personal contexts influence the types of help people seek online. We examine the nature of these personal contexts and offer ways of inferring need-based communities in tech support boards in order to better support users seeking technical help online.