MusicFX: An Arbiter of Group Preferences for Computer Supported Collaborative Workouts
Joseph F. McCarthy and Theodore D. Anagnost Abstract:Environmental factors affecting shared spaces are typically designed to appeal to the broadest audiences they are expected to serve, ignoring the preferences of the people actually inhabiting the environment at any given time. Examples of such factors include the lighting, temperature, décor or music in the common areas of an office building. We have designed and deployed MusicFX, a group preference arbitration system that allows the members of a fitness center to influence, but not directly control, the selection of music in a fitness center. We present a number of empirical results from our work with this intelligent environment: the results of a poll of fitness center members, a quantitative evaluation of the performance of a group preference arbitrator in a shared environment, and some interesting anecdotes about members' experiences with the system. |