UniCast, OutCast & GroupCast: An Exploration of New Interaction Paradigms for Ubiquitous, Peripheral Displays
Joseph F. McCarthy, Tony J. Costa and Edy S. Liongosari 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 is possible that such developments will lead to more accommodating environments that encourage more frequent and beneficial interactions and a greater sense of awareness 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. A physical space can also be used to convey information about people to others, thereby fostering greater awareness of each other's activities. For example, information targeted by users for shared use, such as the public portions of their calendar application, can be displayed on one's private display. A person viewing their display can learn that someone else in their group may be attending an upcoming conference or will be on vacation. Although it is possible for people to act on this information (asking their colleague about the conference), its primary purpose is to convey information that is often not shared in today's dynamic workplaces. We have built three applications to explore the use and effects of peripheral displays in three different workplace contexts: UniCast, a personal display within an individual's office; OutCast, a personal yet shared display on the outside of an individual's office; and GroupCast, a shared display in a public area of an office building, preferably a lounge or discussion area. These will each be described briefly below, along with some of the user interface issues that have arisen in the design and implementation of these displays that are intended primarily for background (as opposed to foreground) interaction. |