Abstract:
We often hear predictions of a
technology-rich future in which our environments will be
filled with artifacts that can sense and respond to us in
new ways—a world filled with cameras, microphones, visual
displays and audio speakers, to name but a few. Although
such a world may seem threatening or menacing in some
depictions, it may be possible that such developments will
lead to more accommodating environments, encouraging more
frequent and beneficial interactions among the inhabitants
of such spaces.
A physical space that can sense
people in the vicinity, and has knowledge of their
interests, can use this information to create new informal
interaction opportunities for these people. For example, a
shared public display in a workplace, combined with a
tracking system, can display information of mutual
interest to the people passing by the display. People may
choose to take advantage of this information to initiate a
conversation with someone about whom they may know very
little, leading to an increased sense of community in the
workplace.
We have built two applications to
explore the use and effects of peripheral displays in two
different workplace contexts: UniCast, a personal display
within an individual's office; and GroupCast, a shared
display in an open area of an office building.
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