Johanna Meurer

Mobility in Later Life: Appropriation of an Integrated Transportation Platform

We present the results of a design case study focusing on supporting the daily transportation of elderly in Germany. We conceptualized, developed and studied the appropriation of a transportation information system intended to ease switching between different transportation modes. Based on a literature review and a context study with 21 interviews we explored routinized transport mode usage and barriers when switching between modes. Iteratively, we co-designed a transport platform accessible via a website, a mobile app, and an iTV app. We further looked at the appropriation of the platform into the daily lives of 19 persons. Studying the appropriation highlighted different factors that facilitate the adoption of alternative transport options. The factors included reducing uncertainty, complementing transport information with context information (e.g. weather) and providing informational access based on the users preferences as well as fitting in with the situational needs (activity related).

FRAMES – A Framework for Adaptable Mobile Event-Contingent Self-report Studies

With the emergence of smart, sensor-equipped mobile devices, the gathering and processing of data concerning the everyday lifestyles of the people using these devices has become a matter of course within the field of HCI. New standards in mobile technologies provide new opportunities for empirical studies, which allow researchers to explore people’s everyday lives unobtrusively. Furthermore, mobile, sensor-based approaches enhance empirical studies by automatically recognizing events of interest such as the arrival at specific locations. In this paper we describe how end-user development can be used to empower researchers without technical expertise to adjust their empirical studies to the individual dynamics of daily life. To do so, we implemented and evaluated the framework ‘FRAMES’ that allows researchers to flexibly specify and adopt mobile event-contingent self-report studies. The evaluation shows the potential of our framework for spontaneous customizations of the study without the need for redeployment or modification of the application.

Knowledge Management-in-action in an EUD-oriented Software Enterprise

This paper aims at answering the question: How do “third generation knowledge management concepts” help to understand relational practices in blended contexts of face-to-face interaction and virtual communication? In order to address this question, we firstly explain Scharmer’s Concept of Self-transcending Knowledge and Snowden’s Knowledge-Ecology-Approach ‘Cynefin’ to develop a heuristic for third generation knowledge management (KM). The heuristic highlights the critical role of relational practices for KM and will be applied to identify and discuss selected relational practices stemming from four Swiss organizations. We conclude by reflecting on the adequateness of third generation knowledge management concepts to explain these practices.End User Development (EUD) aims at the enabling of end users to adapt, modify or extend software and has become an important keyword for soft- ware designers. Discussing premises for the success of EUD, several authors have stated that processes of knowledge development and diffusion play an important role. Current research discusses such Knowledge-Management issues mostly in the client organization. But if we want to bring an End User perspective into de- sign practice, we have to take into account how producers manage their costumer- related knowledge and bring it into action. Therefore, the study presented here de- scribes the results of a related Business Ethnography, which was carried out in a small enterprise of the German software branch. The paper explains how this eth- nographic action research helped to identify practices, potentials and problems in the enterprise to acquire, secure and use knowledge about the end users of its products. Preliminary findings demonstrate that EUD is not only a technical, but also a Knowledge-Management challenge for software enterprises.

Designing Mobility Eco-Feedback for Elderly Users

This paper describes a design-case study for eliciting user feedback and investigating the requirements of a mobile app fostering the adoption of sustainable mobile behavior by elderly users. We report the main lessons learned based on an interview-study using low-mid fidelity prototyping design features for eco-feedback. These lessons currently inform our implementation work in the INNOLAB project and could be of interest for designers in the eco-sustainability field.

Designing Cooperation for Sustainable Mobility: Mobile Methods in Ridesharing Contexts

Motivated by rising global energy demands and a growing awareness of the scarcity of natural resources sustainable mobility concepts are more in demand than ever before. One solution is offered by ridesharing concepts, realized with ICT-supported mobile interaction systems. However, current systems mainly address issues of comfort and efficiency and thus refer to mobility widely in functional terms of transport. We argue in this paper for a praxis-based exploration that refers to personal ridesharing experiences embedded in people’s daily mobility and life world. We will show that a phenomenological inquiry provides added value in understanding practical challenges in a ridesharing context, and we will identify methods used to address practical challenges that can provide new starting points for design.

Designing for way-finding as practices – A study of elderly people's mobility

Abstract Mobility assistance ICTs have become important companions in daily life as digital affordances have become sophisticated. However, understanding and researching everyday way-finding is still challenging, mainly because of the sheer difficulty of collecting empirical data about concrete occasions of use. Hence, we argue that those methodological challenges make it harder to understand the mobility needs of certain user groups. We aim to address this gap while focusing on elderly people, a user group that has increasingly become a focus of HCI studies, and ask the following questions: (1) What are the everyday way-finding practices of that user group? And (2) how can these be supported by mobility assistance ICTs? For answering them, we developed a methodological framework to study daily mobility as way-finding practices and conducted an interview study with 15 ‘young elderly’ people supplemented with a probing technique. The paper concludes with reflections on the potential for and limits to, the study of, and designing for, way-finding as practices.

Designing for Sustainability: Key Issues of ICT Projects for Ageing at Home

Achieving the sustainability of IT-based solutions is a challenge. We will argue in this paper that it is helpful to conceptualize designing for sustainable IT-based solutions as taking place in a multi-dimensional space. It requires thinking about how a project is framed; the perspectives and commitments of the project partners; the type of innovation that is foregrounded; the motivations and needs of the user group; and the level of sustainability a project or research program may achieve. The paper describes some of the challenges and possible solutions by revisiting a portfolio of projects that developed IT support for elderly people who continue living in their own homes.

Gestaltung von Mitfahrsystemen für ältere Erwachsene

Zusammenfassung Die Gestaltung alternativer Mobilitätsformen für ältere Menschen ist aus wirtschaftlichen, ökologischen und sozialen Gründen eine drängende gesellschaftliche Frage. Mitfahrsysteme, unterstützt durch mobile Anwendungen, können eine vielversprechende Ergänzung zum ÖPNV und Individualverkehr bieten. Allerdings mangelt es derzeit noch an Erfahrung inwiefern Mitfahrkonzepte und -systeme die spezifischen Bedarfe der älteren Bevölkerung berücksichtigen. Um zur Klärung dieser Frage einen Beitrag zu leisten, wurde eine ethnographisch- orientierte Interviewstudie zur Untersuchung der Mitfahrpraktiken von Senioren durchgeführt. Die Studie zeigt Potentiale und Herausforderungen bei alltäglichen Mitfahrten auf und identifiziert Kooperationsstrategien, die anschließend zu Gestaltungsideen für Mitfahrsysteme älterer Nutzer weiter entwickelt werden. Summary Motivated by rising global energy demands and a growing awareness of the scarcity of natural resources sustainable mobility concepts are demanded as much as never before. One solution is offered by ridesharing concepts, realized with ICT supported mobile interaction systems. Current systems already address issues of comfort or efficiency and thus refer to mobility widely in functional terms of transport, moving people from one place to another. However, ridesharing is in its basic conception an interactive cooperation between at least two persons negotiating a shared ride. We argue in this paper for the necessary of a praxis-based perspective on ridesharing in order to explore the interactive mechanisms people refer to in ridesharing situations. We will show that a phenomenological inquiry provides added value in understanding practical challenges in ridesharing contexts, and identifying methods used to address practical challenges that can provide new starting points for design.

Gestaltung von Mitfahrsystemen für ältere Erwachsene / Designing ridesharing interaction for older adults

Zusammenfassung Die Gestaltung alternativer Mobilitätsformen für ältere Menschen ist aus wirtschaftlichen, ökologischen und sozialen Gründen eine drängende gesellschaftliche Frage. Mitfahrsysteme, unterstützt durch mobile Anwendungen, können eine vielversprechende Ergänzung zum ÖPNV und Individualverkehr bieten. Allerdings mangelt es derzeit noch an Erfahrung inwiefern Mitfahrkonzepte und -systeme die spezifischen Bedarfe der älteren Bevölkerung berücksichtigen. Um zur Klärung dieser Frage einen Beitrag zu leisten, wurde eine ethnographisch- orientierte Interviewstudie zur Untersuchung der Mitfahrpraktiken von Senioren durchgeführt. Die Studie zeigt Potentiale und Herausforderungen bei alltäglichen Mitfahrten auf und identifiziert Kooperationsstrategien, die anschließend zu Gestaltungsideen für Mitfahrsysteme älterer Nutzer weiter entwickelt werden. Summary Motivated by rising global energy demands and a growing awareness of the scarcity of natural resources sustainable mobility concepts are demanded as much as never before. One solution is offered by ridesharing concepts, realized with ICT supported mobile interaction systems. Current systems already address issues of comfort or efficiency and thus refer to mobility widely in functional terms of transport, moving people from one place to another. However, ridesharing is in its basic conception an interactive cooperation between at least two persons negotiating a shared ride. We argue in this paper for the necessary of a praxis-based perspective on ridesharing in order to explore the interactive mechanisms people refer to in ridesharing situations. We will show that a phenomenological inquiry provides added value in understanding practical challenges in ridesharing contexts, and identifying methods used to address practical challenges that can provide new starting points for design.