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Link to ECSCW 2007 main site
The aim of this workshop is to engage researchers from a variety of disciplines to discuss new methods and techniques for studying the use of technology in a mobile context. We encourage the submission of short papers on a variety of projects. The workshop will be structured around a few of these papers with plenty of time for discussion and debate. If we have sufficient interest we will target a journal for a special issue on the topic following the workshop.
Goals and Objectives
CSCW has traditionally considered domains in which technologies in use have been relatively stationary. However, technology and work are becoming more mobile and technology is increasingly woven into peoples work and leisure time. As a result, the range of domains and technologies that are considered fair game for CSCW researchers have diversified considerably. However, heterogeneous ways of using technology necessitate shifts in how we can study and evaluate systems. The rethinking and adapting of traditional methods, from experimental to ethnographic, is required to capture the ways in which technologies are being used.
In some cases this challenge may involve developing methodologies that engage users in a variety of ways to keep track of their activities or in other cases designing new methods for observing and recording mobile participants. It may necessitate the use of new tools and technologies to identify data and materials of interest and relevance to researchers. More sustained interventions may be required to achieve a situation in which researcher participation mitigates data pollution. It may even become necessary to find new techniques for encouraging or convincing users themselves to assist with data collection and assembly.
For example, in the Cityware project we have engaged a cohort of 30 people from the project area (Bath, UK) who are working with us over 3 years. In return for the use of a mobile phone and some engagement in the project, the cohort provide us with data by enabling us to log their activities. They also participate in the iterative design and evaluation of applications developed within the project. This workshop will provide a forum in which to share similar experience of working with users and attract a range of researchers developing and using varying methodologies in order to capture data in the field.
We will invite participants to the workshop on the basis of short paper submissions describing their experience of working with participants in the course of CSCW studies. We would especially like to provide a forum for researchers to share examples of innovative practice in studying participants with technology as they move through their environment.
During the workshop Tim Jay and Danae Stanton-Fraser will present some of their experience with the use of a cohort of participants for the Cityware project. There will be an invited talk by Mark Rouncefield and Connor Graham on Using mobile phones as cultural probes. There will also be an invited presentation from Monika Buscher entitled 'Going native, settling into the future: Video ethnography and design'. These presentations will be joined by a selection of short presentations based on paper submissions. We have allowed a full day so that we have plenty of discussion time. Discussion will driven by themes arising from the papers; however issues that are suggested in the call for papers are:
· The recruitment and retention of participants
· Innovative means of engaging users of technology
· Innovative means of capturing data
· Long-term engagement of users of technology
· Ethical and Intellectual Property issues arising from research involving participants
· Appropriating new or existing technologies for new forms of data collection
· Optimising data quality from participants
· Opportunities and costs of sustained interventions
Go here to see how you can take part in the workshop
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