ActiveMap: A Visualization Tool

for Location Awarenessto Support Informal Interactions

Joe McCarthy & Eric Meidel

Outline

• Grand Challenge for Ubiquitous Computing• Active Environments Research• ActiveMap Application

• Experiences with ActiveMap• Future Work

Ubiquitous Computing

• Proliferation of devices• Variety of “network computers”• telephones, TVs, cameras, microphones,

refrigerators, microwaves, toasters...

• Distribution of computing resources• portable• wearable

• embedded

Major Trends in Computing

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Mainframes

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UbiquitousComputing

Grand Challenge: So what?

• UbiComp: technology in search of a problem?• Lots of devices that can communicate with us

and each other … what are they going to say?• What would your toaster say to your refrigerator?

• What kinds of new capabilities are enabled by this new paradigm of computing?• Applications?• HUC99, others (CHI, ISWC, …)

Sense & Respond

• UbiComp: New paradigm of computing• Old: input/output (foreground)• New: sense/respondsense/respond (background)

• Active Environments: “UbiComp in a box”• Network of sensors, responders• Concentrated in a small area

• Redefining human-computer interaction• users --> inhabitants

Active Environments

Most environments are passive --deaf, dumb & blind --

unaware of their inhabitantsand unable to assist them in a meaningful way.

In contrast, an active environment isa physical spacephysical space

that can sensesense and respondrespond appropriatelyappropriatelyto the peoplepeople and activitiesactivities taking place

within it.

First Steps TowardActive Environments

• Focus: Informal Communication• Crucial for success in project/team-oriented work• Attempts to connect often end in failure

• Suite of Awareness Tools• Provide information about who’s where

• Infrared badges, sensors

• Create informal interaction opportunitiesfor non-adjacent colleagues

• “semi-serendipitous encounters”

Active EnvironmentsResearch Issues

• Utility of Awareness Tools• [How] useful?• Useful how?

• Which tools?

• Which settings?

• Measurement• usage, polls, interviews, logs

• Privacy / benefit tradeoff

PocketWatch

EventManager

ActiveMap

Related Work

• Xerox PARC• “locations” program

• Olivetti Research Lab• Active Badge system

• Our goals• Explore visualization issues

• Privacy / benefit tradeoff

• User experiences

ActiveMap: Visualization

Visualization: Groups

Visualization: “Freshness”

Interaction with ActiveMap

• View manipulation• pan, zoom, “home”• tool-tip pop-ups on mouse-over

• people, locations

• Find• recenters map over person’s location

• Directed audio• text messages via speech synthesis to node

User Experiences

• Desktop computers• Infrequently used

• Early bugs, screen size, poor marketing

• Kiosk• Used by group members & non-members

• Members: consult after physical search• Non-members: no instruction

Visualization Preferences

• Groups• stacked over tiled

• Freshness• frame shading over image fading

• Elapsed time scale• logarithmic over linear, 0-15 mins. to 1-2 hrs.

• Sounds• none

Future Work

• Integration of other “sensors”• Presence: motion, camera, microphone• Activity: keyboard, telephone, calendar

• Integration of other communication modalities• Instant text messaging (AIM)• Telephone

• Videoconference (NetMeeting)

Future Work

• New interaction modes (kiosk)• Speech recognition / speech synthesis• Touch screen

• New visualization capabilities• Rotation of stacked images (at-a-glance)• Snail trails

• Playback

Future Work

• [More thorough] user studies• Log analysis, option settings

• Extend to new group (ETS)• Inter- vs. intra-group issues

• Infrastructural, political, social

• Integrate with Workplace of the Future (ETS)• Integrated Email, NetMeeting, Scheduling

ActiveMap: A Visualization Tool

for Location Awarenessto Support Informal Interactions

Joe McCarthy mccarthy@cstar.ac.com