PhD thesis,
Context-Aware Telephony and Its Users: Methods to Improve the Accuracy of Mobile Device Interruptions
Indiana University, Department of Computer Science, (2006)
Abstract
As the number of mobile devices we carry grows, the job of managing those
devices throughout the day becomes cumbersome. As a result, the many benefits that
cell phones provide are at times overshadowed by the problems they create. Cell
phone interruption, as when a ringing cell phone disrupts a group activity, such as a
class, meeting or movie, is yet another inconvenience highlighted by the ever
increasing number of mobile devices we carry. In large part, this mismatch between
the user’s context and the cell phone’s behavior occurs because owners do not
remember to frequently update their cell phone configuration according to the current
context.
In this research, we present three different techniques focused on minimizing cell
phone interruption: (1) Calendar-based approach, (2) Caller-based approach, and (3)
Collaborative approach. The techniques capitalize on the emerging fields of
ubiquitous computing, context-awareness and smart environments and are intended to
function in a minimally intrusive manner. We first present a feasibility study that
shows people are willing to use context-aware, automatic cell phone configuration
and do not feel a loss of control. We then discuss the results of a user study that relied
on mobile calendar information to infer the appropriate cell phone configuration.
Next, we present the caller-based technique, which leverages the caller’s judgment
regarding the appropriateness of interrupting the receiver given some contextual
information about him or her. We present an in-situ user study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of that approach, the privacy concerns associated with it and the values
conveyed by different types of contextual information. In addition, we present our
findings that suggest surveys are unreliable tools for measuring privacy concerns. We
also present a third novel approach toward automatic configuration aimed at
minimizing cell phone interruption: a collaborative technique that automatically
adapts its configuration according to that of the majority of the surrounding cell
phones.
Finally, we present design guidelines and lessons learned based on our
experience investigating the three methods. We address issues including privacy,
awareness, inaccuracy and control versus convenience.
