Johan Sanneblad

FieldWise: a mobile knowledge management architecture

The paper presents results of a research project that has aimed at developing a knowledge management architecture for mobile work domains. The architecture developed, called FieldWise, was based on fieldwork in two organisations and feedback from users of prototype systems. This paper describes the empirically grounded requirements of FieldWise, how these have been realised in the architecture, and how the architecture has been implemented in the news journalism domain. FieldWise adds to the field of CSCW by offering an empirically grounded architecture with a set of novel features that have not been previously reported in the literature.

“Why Is Everyone Inside Me?!” Using Shared Displays in Mobile Computer Games

We have investigated the use of shared mobile displays to create a new type of computer games for mobile devices – Collaborative Games, which require players to physically coordinate their activities to succeed. Collaborative Games are played on mobile devices connected in wireless networks where users can start, join and leave games ad hoc. In a user study, one of these mobile games was made available in a cafe frequented by high school students for a period of two weeks. During the test period we noted several new forms of interaction emerging, such as players running away with their displays to avoid other players from accessing them. We also found interesting verbal exchanges, such as the use of “me” to refer to both the user’s handheld display and her on-screen representation. We believe that these new ways of interaction is a result of using the shared display in a new domain.

Supporting opportunistic communication in mobile settings

Proxy Lady is a mobile system for informal, opportunistic face-to-face communication, running on a PDA equipped with a radio transceiver. We describe the system and some preliminary evaluation results.

OpenTrek: A Platform for Developing Interactive Networked Games on Mobile Devices

Programming interactive networking applications for mobile devices is currently a laborious process, due to the lack of standardized development support. We introduce a new software platform, {it OpenTrek, }primarily intended to assist the development of multiplayer networked games on Pocket PC devices. OpenTrek is similar to game development environments on stationary PCs, such as DirectX, but is fully optimized to work with mobile devices. It is a freely downloadable package with a fast learning curve, which includes support for ad hoc networking and efficient graphics. We successfully deployed OpenTrek in a course at a local university. 28 students with no previous experience in Pocket PC programming were able to create 12 different advanced multiplayer networked games in only five weeks (which included introduction to the platform). By easing the development of advanced interactive applications on Pocket PC, OpenTrek can lower the hurdle for researchers who wish to prototype and test novel user interfaces for mobile devices.

Total recall: in-place viewing of captured whiteboard annotations

Total Recall introduces a new way to view captured whiteboard annotations. To digitize drawings we used a modified commercial system. However, instead of displaying the annotations on a separate computer screen, Total Recall shows the annotations at the place on the board where they were actually made. The user holds a hand-held computer to the board and moves it to reveal the desirable portion of the captured annotations. By using ultra-sonic positioning and optimized graphics, we achieve a high frame-rate (30 fps), allowing for very smooth panning and interaction. We argue that this way of viewing captured whiteboard annotations is more natural and intuitive than current desktop-based systems.

Designing collaborative games on handheld computers

Although gaming devices such as the Cybiko and Nintendo’s Gameboy allow for competitive play via radio link or cable, there has not yet been a single commercial game released for handheld computers that can be played synchronously by two or more players over a wireless network connection. In a university course, we let students create networked games for handheld computers. Their brief was to design games where it would be necessary to collaborate to win. For instance, one game explored the possibility of combining the displays of handheld computers to form a larger play area, while another assigned each player a specific role, so that the players have to coordinate their actions to succeed.

Amigo - wireless image based instant messaging for handheld computers

We introduce Amigo - an Instant Messaging (IM) client for handheld computers. Amigo allows free-form images as well as handwriting to be sent between people, taking advantage of the touch sensitive display of mobile devices. Amigo differs from other IM clients in that the text written by the user never has to be translated into ASCII data. Twenty students used Amigo for two weeks. Preliminary use results show that Amigo functions well as an IM client for handheld computers, and also introduces new ways for people to interact using IM: mixed text/image sessions, collaborative drawings and instant gaming.

Prototyping Mobile Game Applications

Mobile game devices today include novel features, such as ad-hoc wireless connections, advanced audio and visuals, and peer-to-peer networking. Using these devices to design new game concepts, however, can be difficult and take much time. We have developed OpenTrek — a free, Rapid Application Development game platform for mobile devices. OpenTrek is to be used as a prototype platform on standard Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to quickly visualize new mobile game concepts. In this paper, we describe the platform and present results from the platform in use in an educational setting. Use experience indicates that the platform successfully can be used to prototype games for handheld devices in a limited time frame.