interactive systems group Alex Taylor Microsoft Research Cambridge November 2004

2 isg: msr cambridge The group's vision is fundamentally interdisciplinary brings together: hardware engineering computer science psychology and sociology addresses the problem of designing technology to support people in their everyday life

3 isg goals study and build socio-digital systems examine what people do and why anything! (not just with technology) rigorous methods, e.g. ethnography explore new ways of helping people do these sorts of things with existing and new technology

4 consider ‘texting’ messages often hand-crafted artefacts most traffic is to people closest to you: sustaining or creating intimacy displayed to close friends many kept and treasured some ‘ritualistically’ destroyed

5 texts as gifts anthropology and sociology of gifting teenagers are building social worlds text gifts as the building blocks of social networks

6 we can learn from this MMS could augment the gifting experience it doesn’t because its design is insensitive to the social organisation of communications this may explain why it has not taken off the way SMS has one way to improve MMS create alternative digital means of expression basing design principles on gifting

7 ubiquitous computing and isg Our definition the interplay between physical and digital artefacts in everyday life Mainstream research largely mischaracterises human behaviour and social relations e.g. smart home research would have it that lighting, temperature, networking, sensing, etc. are of pre-eminent concern in home life. this fundamentally misjudges the idea of home

8 ubiquitous computing Three approaches to tackling this problem prototype technologies wasp: wireless actuator & sensor platform SenseCam: a personal black-box recorder zCast: data broadcasting over TV and radio technology probe studies ethnographic field work

9 a development platform for embedded devices integrates wireless with sensing and actuation GPRS/GSM/SMS or Bluetooth in 1st instance sensors include physical location & environment actuators largely visual feedback enabler for understanding new application areas underlying technology building working prototypes stimulate innovative application development highlight the real technical and design issues allow trials and feedback from real users wasp

10 sensecam a “Black Box” data and image recorder for the human body current wearable prototype can be worn for a day and captures up to 2000 images in 12 hours image capture triggered by sensors, e.g. motion, light, temperature, people in field of view,... sensor data is also recorded for later presentation, analysis

11 sensor readings corresponding images in rapid serial viewer sensecam data

12 social consequences of wearable capture devices

13 personal memory enhancement Where did I leave my umbrella? What was the name of that wine we had last week? What was written on the whiteboard? tourism Automatic photo journals or blogs of holidays, visits, trips,... clinical support for the memory-impaired augment diary-keeping help remember faces test compliance with medication applications

14 sensecam status and plans 12 devices built; adding audio trigger and GPS trials and studies domestic probe give it to people and see what they do clinical trials with memory-loss patients ethics approval for 20 Cambridge patients over 3 years tourism trials Edinburgh Festival, museums,... cross-cultural privacy study UK, China, India, Egypt,...

15 zcast datacasting to fixed and mobile devices digital radio and digital television transmission (DAB and DVB) covering Cambridge 12 MS households taking part bringing movies, extra programming, Windows Update, etc. to Media Center PCs over the airwaves 3 DAB-enabled PDAs for mobile experiments research goals characterize and improve datacasting networks explore HCI issues in home/mobile media consumption

16 DVB-TMilton MC via Bobsled Pocket PC Family Car Media Center + WiFi Neighborhood WM9 encoder File Delivery System Carrousel System WM9 encoder DABMilton zcast schematic

17 studies of home life...

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