The GUIDE System (and what the tourists thought) Keith Cheverst Distributed Multimedia Research Group Lancaster University [email protected]

The GUIDE System(and what the tourists

thought)

Keith CheverstDistributed Multimedia Research Group

Lancaster University

[email protected]://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/staff/kc/keiths_research.html

Lancaster University - DMRG

Background… What ‘useful’ interactive system

could we build using… Mobile Computing / Wireless

connectivity Access to dynamic information Remote services

Context-Awareness Personal Environment Device


The GUIDE Project… Investigate issues re. the

development of mobile context-aware systems Developed to overcome limitations of

traditional information/navigation tools Group-based guides

Inherently inflexible, fixed start-times durations etc Satisfy interests of the majority rather than the

specific interests of individuals Guide books

Can contain out of date information etc


GUIDE Requirements… Requirements Capture (Lancaster

TIC) Observing information needs of visitors Semi-structured one-to-one interviews

with TIC staff

Four main requirements Flexibility Present Tailored Information Support for dynamic information Support for interactive services


Comms/Location Infrastructure


Infrastructure Continued…


Welcome to GUIDE…


Accessing Information…


Position Dependent Info…


Viewing Nearby Attractions…


Viewing a Local Map…


Interactive Services…


Messaging…


Picking a Tour…


Following a Tour (1)…


Following a Tour (2)…


The Information Model… Represents various information types

Geographic, hypertext and active components


GUIDE (the movie)…


Implications of Disconnection… GUIDE units can loose network

connectivity Certain functionality becomes unavailable

Location Information, Messaging Service etc Trust/reliability of information is an issue

No reception of dynamic information No access to those parts of the information

model that are not currently cached e.g. remote web pages

Information can become out-of-date


Mobile Awareness… Encourage an understanding for the

role of connectivity Reduce apparent anomalies in behaviour

that could affect a visitor’s trust Utilises understanding of the mobile

phone Bars of connectivity metaphor Awareness rather than intrusive

What about visitor’s location…


Solving Location Problems: A GUIDE and Visitor Partnership


Finding the Visitor…


Selecting from List…


Selecting from Thumbnails…


Found Again…


Evaluation Expert walkthrough

1st pass at usability Resolved a number of User Interface issues Highlighted need to avoid over-determining the user

Field Trial What the public actually think Ascertain quality of visitor’s experience Determine the implications of our approach

Would users trust the system? Granularity of location information? What about the role connectivity?


Field Trial… Sixty visitors over 5 weeks Usage period between 10 minutes and 1 hour

Concern not to impinge on visitor’s holiday!

Age Profile

Number Gender Web Experience

Male Female

10-20 6 4 2 6

20-35 15 7 8 7

35-55 26 17 14 8

55-70 13 6 7 1


Key Findings ….

In general, visitors enjoyed using the system…

Visitors appreciated location-awareness Found location-aware navigation reassuring Information Retrieval (when not over constrained)

Visitors trust of the system was dynamicLevel increased when shown detailed and accurate descriptions e.g. ‘watch the step when leaving the path’Level decreased when information could not be retrieved or appeared inaccurate/incorrect


Key Findings Continued… Majority of visitors appreciated system’s flexibility

However, some were of the opinion ‘Less is More’ 45/60 accepted the portable end-system Interactive Services…

Less enthusiastic than expected 48/60 visitors wanted conformation of bookings

Visitors in 10-20 age group… Revelled in the technology Explored twice as many links per minute as other groups

Visitor’s awareness… Appreciated role of connectivity Accepted the mobile phone analogy


The Role of Context… Maximising the limited User Interface

bandwidth between the device and the user

Enabling the simplification/reduction of the user’s task specification What locations are nearby? Creating a suitable/tailored tour Need to be careful of not overly constraining

the information available to the visitor The trade-off between prescription and freedom


The Role of Context Continued…

Tailoring/Adapting Presented Information Ordering of lists, e.g. nearby attractions Constraining content, e.g. based on proximity Tailoring descriptions

Information(1) Lancaster Priory built in 1434 A.D. and the architect

was Donald Samson. Information(2)

Lancaster Priory built in 1434 A.D. and the architect was Donald Samson. This architect also designed the extension to York Cathedral which you visited on 12th January 1998.

Issues of predictability


Future for GUIDE (1) Supplement communications

infrastructure with micro-cellular system, e.g. bluetooth Communication within buildings Finer granularity of positioning info Reduced power consumption

Integration of GPS Could obtain location based on…

Based on querying user Based on reception of location updates Based on (D)GPS


Future for GUIDE (2) Extend the range of context-sensitive

interactive services for city residents Automatically ordering a taxi Requesting the location of nearest cash

point Support for ad hoc meetings

Utilise personal end-systems, Users personal WAP phone or PDA Persistence of user’s profile

Constant learning/building of user’s profile


Concluding Remarks… Is context (e.g. position) used to good effect

in GUIDE ? Context used to reduce the complexity of a user’s

task specification Context also increased the the quality/relevance of

information presented to the user The users interaction is affected by…

UI, context and infrastructure Designers need to carefully consider

Appropriate styles of interaction (metaphors, feedback, etc.)

How to avoid over-determining the user based on context


Contact Information…

{kc,keith.mitchell,nigel}@comp.lancs.ac.ukhttp://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/staff/kc.htmlhttp://www.guide.lancs.ac.uk

Recent GUIDE Papers: Developing a Context-aware Electronic Tourist Guide: Some

Issues and Experiences (CHI2000) The Role of Connectivity in Supporting Context-Sensitive

Applications (HUC’99) The Design of an Object Model for a Context-Sensitive Tourist Guide

(Computers & Graphics Journal Vol 23. No 6. Dec 1999)

Documents

The GUIDE System (and what the tourists thought) Keith Cheverst Distributed Multimedia Research Group Lancaster University [email protected]