Marta E. Cecchinato

Electrostatic modulated friction as tactile feedback: intensity perception

We describe the preliminary results from an experiment investigating the perceived intensity of modulated friction created by electrostatic force, or electrovibration. A prototype experimental system was created to evaluate user perception of sinusoidal electrovibration stimuli on a flat surface emulating a touch screen interface. We introduce a fixed 6-point Effect Strength Subjective Index (ESSI) as a measure of generic sensation intensity, and compare it with an open magnitude scale. The results of the experiment indicate that there are significant correlations between intensity perception and signal amplitude, and the highest sensitivity was found at a frequency of 80 Hz. The subjective results show that the users perceived the electrovibration stimuli as pleasant and a useful means of feedback for touchscreens.

Working 9-5?: Professional Differences in Email and Boundary Management Practices

Technology not only brings benefits such as flexible working practices but can also have negative stressful consequences such as increasing email overload and the blurring of work-home boundaries. We report on an exploratory study that extends the current understanding of email usage by investigating how different professions at a university manage work and personal emails using different devices and how this impacts their work-home boundary management. Our findings lead us to identify two user groups: those with permeable boundaries (primarily academics) and those who have more rigid ones (primarily professional services employees) and that there are differences in when, where and how they manage their work and personal emails. In particular we find that some participants use micro-boundary strategies to manage transitions between work and personal life. Based on these novel findings we propose improvements of email software design to facilitate effective email, work-home boundary management, and support micro-boundary practices.

Finding Email in a Multi-Account, Multi-Device World

Email is far from dead; in fact the volume of messages exchanged daily, the number of accounts per user, and the number of devices on which email is accessed have been constantly growing. Most previous studies on email have focused on management and retrieval behaviour within a single account and on a single device. In this paper, we examine how people find email in todays ecosystem through an in-depth qualitative diary study with 16 participants. We found that personal and work accounts are managed differently, resulting in diverse retrieval strategies: while work accounts are more structured and thus email is retrieved through folders, personal accounts have fewer folders and users rely primarily on the built-in search option. Moreover, retrieval occurs primarily on laptops and PCs compared to smartphones. We explore the reasons, and uncover barriers and workarounds related to managing multiple accounts and devices. Finally, we consider new design possibilities for email clients to better support how email is used today.

Always On(line)?: User Experience of Smartwatches and their Role within Multi-Device Ecologies

Users have access to a growing ecosystem of devices (desktop, mobile and wearable) that can deliver notifications and help people to stay in contact. Smartwatches are gaining popularity, yet little is known about the user experience and their impact on our increasingly always online culture. We report on a qualitative study with existing users on their everyday use of smartwatches to understand both the added value and the challenges of being constantly connected at the wrist. Our findings show that users see a large benefit in receiving notifications on their wrist, especially in terms of helping manage expectations of availability. Moreover, we find that response rates after viewing a notification on a smartwatch change based on the other devices available: laptops prompt quicker replies than smartphones. Finally, there are still many costs associated with using smartwatches, thus we make a series of design recommendations to improve the user experience of smartwatches.

Smartwatches: Digital Handcuffs or Magic Bracelets?

Some regard the smartwatch as little more than an extra phone screen, but it can be a powerful tool that reduces the time we spend using other devices, enabling us to better manage our digital lives without missing out on important information.

Email management and work-home boundaries

In my PhD research I am exploring the effect of email on work-home boundaries. The ultimate goal is to design a tool that helps people manage their email better and reduces the stress associated with this activity. I argue that this will require understanding individual differences in email behaviours and how email can impact work-home boundaries.