Article

Supporting ethnographic studies of ubiquitous computing in the wild

Authors:

Chris Greenhalgh,

Matthew Chalmers,

Barry BrownAuthors Info & Claims

DIS '06: Proceedings of the 6th conference on Designing Interactive systems

Pages 60 - 69

https://doi.org/10.1145/1142405.1142417

Published: 26 June 2006 Publication History

Abstract

Ethnography has become a staple feature of IT research over the last twenty years, shaping our understanding of the social character of computing systems and informing their design in a wide variety of settings. The emergence of ubiquitous computing raises new challenges for ethnography however, distributing interaction across a burgeoning array of small, mobile devices and online environments which exploit invisible sensing systems. Understanding interaction requires ethnographers to reconcile interactions that are, for example, distributed across devices on the street with online interactions in order to assemble coherent understandings of the social character and purchase of ubiquitous computing systems. We draw upon four recent studies to show how ethnographers are replaying system recordings of interaction alongside existing resources such as video recordings to do this and identify key challenges that need to be met to support ethnographic study of ubiquitous computing in the wild.

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Cited By

Porcheron MClark LNicholson SJones M(2023)Cyclists’ Use of Technology While on Their BikeProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580971(1-15)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
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Cheng YFunk MLiang RChen L(2022)Seeing Through Things: Exploring the Design Space of Privacy-aware Data-enabled ObjectsACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/357701230:4(1-43)Online publication date: 20-Dec-2022
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Cuadra ABaek HEstrin DJung MDell N(2022)On Inclusion: Video Analysis of Older Adult Interactions with a Multi-Modal Voice Assistant in a Public SettingProceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development10.1145/3572334.3572371(1-17)Online publication date: 27-Jun-2022
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Index Terms

Supporting ethnographic studies of ubiquitous computing in the wild
1. Computer systems organization
  1. Embedded and cyber-physical systems
  2. Real-time systems

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

DIS '06: Proceedings of the 6th conference on Designing Interactive systems

June 2006

384 pages

ISBN:1595933670

DOI:10.1145/1142405

General Chair:
John M. Carroll
The Pennsylvania State University, USA
,
Program Chairs:
Susanne Bødker
Aarhus University, Denmark
,
Julie Coughlin
The Pennsylvania State University, USA

Copyright © 2006 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Published: 26 June 2006

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DIS06: Designing Interactive Systems 2006

June 26 - 28, 2006

PA, University Park, USA

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Overall Acceptance Rate 1,158 of 4,684 submissions, 25%

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Porcheron MClark LNicholson SJones M(2023)Cyclists’ Use of Technology While on Their BikeProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3580971(1-15)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3580971
Cheng YFunk MLiang RChen L(2022)Seeing Through Things: Exploring the Design Space of Privacy-aware Data-enabled ObjectsACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/357701230:4(1-43)Online publication date: 20-Dec-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3577012
Cuadra ABaek HEstrin DJung MDell N(2022)On Inclusion: Video Analysis of Older Adult Interactions with a Multi-Modal Voice Assistant in a Public SettingProceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development10.1145/3572334.3572371(1-17)Online publication date: 27-Jun-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3572334.3572371
McGarry GChamberlain ACrabtree AGreehalgh C(2021)The Meaning in "the Mix": Using Ethnography to Inform the Design of Intelligent Tools in the Context of Music ProductionProceedings of the 16th International Audio Mostly Conference10.1145/3478384.3478406(40-47)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3478384.3478406
Rüller SAal KMouratidis MWulf VWakkary RAndersen KOdom WDesjardins APetersen M(2020)Messy FieldworkCompanion Publication of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3393914.3395864(185-190)Online publication date: 6-Jul-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3393914.3395864
Porcheron MFischer JReeves SSharples SMandryk RHancock MPerry MCox A(2018)Voice Interfaces in Everyday LifeProceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3173574.3174214(1-12)Online publication date: 21-Apr-2018
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Tallyn EFried HGianni RIsard ASpeed CMandryk RHancock MPerry MCox A(2018)The EthnobotProceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3173574.3174178(1-13)Online publication date: 21-Apr-2018
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Ferreira VAnacleto JGasparini IPiccolo LZaina LPereira R(2017)On-the-fly PrototypingProceedings of the XVI Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3160504.3160550(1-9)Online publication date: 23-Oct-2017
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Tennent PMarshall JWalker BBrundell PBenford SMival OSmyth MDalsgaard P(2017)The Challenges of Visual-Kinaesthetic ExperienceProceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems10.1145/3064663.3064763(1265-1276)Online publication date: 10-Jun-2017
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Davis HFerdous HVetere FMark GFussell SLampe Cschraefel mHourcade JAppert CWigdor D(2017)'Table Manners'Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3027063.3053353(969-978)Online publication date: 6-May-2017
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