Matti Nelimarkka

Measuring social relations with multiple datasets

Because people have different levels of engagement with each other, measuring social relations is difficult. In this work, we propose a method of measuring social relations with multiple datasets and demonstrate the differences with empirical evidence. Our empirical findings demonstrate that people use different communication media channels differently. Therefore, we suggest that in order to understand social structures, one should use several kinds of data sources and not just depend on a single dataset. Our datasets include mobile phone data gathered with handset-based measurements and data from OtaSizzle online social media services. By means of social network analysis, we show that the online social media services have a different friendship network than the networks based on mobile phone communication. The mobile phone communication networks, however, have a very similar structure. These results are encouraging as previous research also indicates differences in the communication networks.

Measuring Social Relations: Case OtaSizzle

There are different levels of engagement in social relations between persons. Using a single data set for measuring social relations may, however, lead to fallacious results, while using multiple data sets the threat of fallacy can be reduced and the nature of different kind of social relations examined. This paper presents the OtaSizzle research platform for combining multiple data sets and measuring social relations. To present the usefulness of this, the first empirical results of the social network analysis performed with the platform are presented and discussed. Handset-based measurements are used together with data from the OtaSizzle social media services to study the social relations within a group of 20 users. As a result the social networks derived with the different data sources are presented and compared and a number of future research items discussed. According to the measures calculated the social networks derived from the mobile devices are quite similar while the OtaSizzle service network is considerably different, indicating a difference in the online social network and the communication network inside the user group.

Designing for presenters at public walk-up-and-use displays

Interactive walk-up-and-use displays are spreading in a variety of settings where stand presentation situations are common. We contribute by characterizing a presentation situation and investigating specific design implications for presenters in this situation. We also introduce interface system that utilizes physics-modeled spherical content widgets for information browsing. The system includes dedicated features we developed to support presenters in content production and visualization. To investigate stand presentations and their support, we organized a field trial at an exhibition, collecting observational data from video analysis, interviews with presenters, and questionnaires from the audience and presenters. The field study confirms the importance of the presentation use case for public walk-up-and-use screens and points to dedicated design implications for simultaneous support for presenters and visitors, management of presentation territories, and personalization.

Web-Based Public-Screen Gaming: Insights from Deployments

Web-based public screen interaction using personal mobile devices is already being deployed in commercial interactive digital signage and gaming systems, but academic research on the topic has been scarce. In this article, the authors help to fill the gap by presenting their findings from two in-the-wild deployments of a public screen game that features Web-based interaction. This article is part of a special issue on pervasive displays.

Introducing Kupla UI: a generic interactive wall user interface based on physics modeled spherical content widgets

We present a generic user interface for large interactive walls, Kupla UI. Kupla UI applies physics modeled spherical content widgets to present information. It is primarily targeted for multi-user information exploration and for informal presentations in public spaces, such as exhibitions, commercial spaces and lobbies. Kupla is designed to support multiple simultaneous users, graph-based content hierarchy, flexibly changing installation form-factors, heterogeneous content, and playful interaction.

Working the fields of big data: Using big-data-augmented online ethnography to study candidate–candidate interaction at election time

ABSTRACT The paper proposes big-data-augmented ethnography as a novel mixed-methods approach to studying political discussions in a hybrid media system. Using such empirical setup, the authors examined candidate–candidate online interaction during election campaigning. Candidate–candidate interaction crossing party boundaries is scarce and occurs in the form of negative campaigning via social media, with the shaming of rival candidates and engaging in battles with them. The authors posit that ethnographic observations can be used to contextualize the computational analysis of large data sets, while computational analysis can be applied to validate and generalize the findings made through ethnography.

A Case Study in Mobile-Optimized vs. Responsive Web Application Design

Responsive web design is being widely adopted to maintain usability across a diversity of devices and screen sizes in contrast to earlier approaches which focus only on mobile or non-mobile (desktop) devices. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of responsive web design with a specific case study, the California Report Card, an online civic engagement tool. We compare Version 1.0, a mobile-optimized design, with Version 2.0, a responsive web design and consider three hypotheses: (H1) a mobile-optimized web application will receive most of its users from mobile devices, (H2) mobile-optimized design loses engagement from non-mobile users and (H3) responsive design mitigates these losses. Our results support H2 and H3 but not H1. These results support the adoption of responsive web design to maintain access for the significant population of non-mobile (desktop) users.