Jasminko Novak

Designing for reintermediation in the brick-and-mortar world: Towards the travel agency of the future

The Internet and electronic marketplaces have profoundly transformed the travel services industry and challenged the traditional value proposition of travel agencies: What is the reason for their existence if information is abundantly available and transactions can be flexibly conducted in direct buyer-seller interactions on the Internet? Traditional travel agencies are struggling to develop new value propositions which differentiate them against the Internet competition, largely based on expanding their reach through online subsidiaries. We present a reintermediation approach based on a novel way of IT-enabled travel advisory which integrates the advantages of interactive technologies and Internet channels with the advantages of direct customer interaction in the physical agency setting. In particular, we propose a reintermediation framework based on the integration of kernel theories from information seeking behavior, interactive value creation, relationship marketing and the design of hedonic information systems. We argue that physically collocated travel advisory services can create a significant added value, if they succeed in uncovering customers’ hidden needs, heightening trust and relationship building in the advisory process and creating a better user experience. Following the design science methodology we validate the proposed framework through the design, implementation and evaluation of a proof-of-concept prototype in a field experiment in a real-world travel agency.

Helping Knowledge Cross Boundaries: Using Knowledge Visualization to Support Cross-Community Sensemaking

Knowledge sharing across community boundaries has been discussed in literature as an important source of new knowledge and innovation. Different studies point out the difficulties and specific requirements to be considered in cross-community contexts. In contrast, the development and empirical evaluation of concrete methods and systems incorporating these insights has been little addressed. This paper discusses the main challenges of supporting cross-community knowledge exchange and presents an approach to addressing them based on collaborative knowledge visualization. The developed method enables the visualization of implicit structures of personal and community knowledge and their use for multi-perspective access to community information spaces. The results of an empirical evaluation in a comparative laboratory study suggest that this method provides valuable support for facilitating cross-community knowledge exchange

When Joy Matters: The Importance of Hedonic Stimulation in Collocated Collaboration with Large-Displays

Hedonic aspects are increasingly considered as an important factor in user acceptance of information systems, especially for activities with high self-fulfilling value for the users. In this paper we report on the results of an experiment investigating the hedonic qualities of an interactive large-display workspace for collocated collaboration in sales-oriented travel advisory. The results show a higher hedonic stimulation quality of a touch-based large-display travel advisory workspace than that of a traditional workspace with catalogues. Together with the feedback of both customers and travel agents this suggests the adequacy of using touch-based large-displays with visual workspaces for supporting the hedonic stimulation of user experience in collocated collaboration settings. The relation of high perception of hedonic quality to positive emotional attitudes towards the use of a large-display workspace indicates that even in utilitarian activities (e.g. reaching sales goals for travel agents) hedonic aspects can play an important role. This calls for reconsidering the traditional divide of hedonic vs. utilitarian systems in current literature, to a more balanced view towards systems which provide both utilitarian and hedonic sources of value to the user.

HistoGraph -- A Visualization Tool for Collaborative Analysis of Networks from Historical Social Multimedia Collections

This paper describes the design and development of histoGraph, an interactive tool for explorative visualization and collaborative investigation of historical social networks from multimedia collections. Developed in an interdisciplinary collaboration of computer scientists, historians, HCI researchers and interface designers, the tool aims at supporting historians in the discovery and historical analysis of relationships between people, places and events. A special focus is on the identification and interactive visualization of social relations from historical photo collections through a combination of automatic analysis and expert-based crowd sourcing. The tool design bridges the gap between established network analysis and visualization techniques and traditional hermeneutic research methods in historical research. It integrates visual exploration with hybrid social graph construction, hypothesis formulation and the consultation of digitized primary sources. A formative evaluation of the current prototype, developed as a domain-specific application for historians in the field of European integration points to opportunities and critical factors in applying this approach to support and further current research practices in digital humanities.

Designing large-display workspaces for cooperative travel consultancy

This paper discusses the design and first deployment experiences of an interactive large-display workspace for face-to-face travel consultancy. The stickiness of client preferences, the asymmetry of information about the solution space and the emotional colouring of client choices, make this complex cooperative process difficult to perform. To support such collocated consultancies we propose a large-display system providing a shared visualization of information resources that can be manipulated jointly by both parties. The use of natural touch interaction and multimedia resources furthers emotional involvement of the user. Results of a preliminary evaluation suggest that such a large-display workspace can greatly improve the cooperation process and both customer and agent satisfaction.

The mobile forum: real-time information exchange in mobile sms communities

In this paper we propose a definition for a mobile community based on the value of knowledge exchange among locally dispersed community members. Against this conceptual background, we propose a low-tech mobile community setting using SMS messaging and customary mobile phones. The feasibility of this approach is tested in a field study. Results show that successful information exchange is established with high user traffic and that participants judge the communication to be helpful. User requirements hint to the need for a better structuring of SMS messages, alternative input/output devices and location-based services. Implications for the future support of mobile communities are discussed.

The mobile campfire a new user paradigm for mobile social web scenarios

This article starts with a discussion of user paradigms in (business) informatics and the human-computer interaction field in general. Based on this analysis a new user paradigm for mobile social Web scenarios is proposed: the mobile campfire paradigm. We contrast this approach to other paradigms, like the ldquouser as information processorrdquo perspective. Finally, implications of this metaphor for the design of future mobile devices and services are discussed and exemplified by a field study from own work.

Mashups: Strukturelle Eigenschaften und Herausforderungen von End-User Development im Web 2.0 (Mashups: Structural Characteristics and Challenges of End-User Development in Web 2.0)

Mashups sind Web-basierte Anwendungen die Inhalte und Funktionalitäten von unterschiedlichen Onlinequellen über öffentlich verfügbare Schnittstellen verbinden (z.B. API, RSS). Mashup-Technologien versetzen Benutzer in die Lage, selbst neue Webseiten zu erstellen, die Daten und Dienste von unterschiedlichen Anbietern kombinieren. Die Webseite Programmable Web weist hin auf mehr als 800 solcher Anwendungen. Trotz der grossen Dynamik der “Mashup Bewegung”, gibt es bislang kaum Arbeiten, welche die strukturellen Eigenschaften, Designdimensionen und sozio-technischen Implikationen von Mashups analysieren. In diesem Beitrag wird ein konzeptuelles Rahmenwerk zur Analyse und Evaluierung von Mashups vorgeschlagen und in einer explorativen Studie angewandt. Die Studienergebnisse identifi-zieren die aktuellen Trends und ein dominantes Design-Modell erfolgreicher Mashups sowie kritische Aspekte, Limitationen und Chancen zukünftiger Entwicklung. Mashups are web applications combining content and functionality from different online sources via publicly available interfaces (e.g. API, RSS). This allows end-users to create new websites that dynamically combine services of existing providers. The website Programmable Web lists almost 800 such applications. Still, little work has analyzed their structural properties, design dimensions and socio-technical implications. In this paper we propose and apply a specific conceptual framework for analyzing and evaluating mashups. The results of an exploratory study identify current trends and a dominant design model of successful mashups as well as critical aspects, limitations and chances for future development.