Mobile Technologies For Mobile Groups

What is the aim of the project?

A variety of projects are underway to investigate the topics of community, mobility and group interaction. An assortment of research methods are being used to investigate different aspects of mobility, and determine how they relate to mobile device design. The aim of the project is to design an electronic travel assistant for backpackers and extend existing research methods so that they are more appropriate for mobile group research. Mobile devices are increasingly being used by groups to coordinate actions, but they are not designed for group usage. For this reason we are investigating how existing social networks of backpackers gossip and plan to augment existing social patterns with mobile technologies.

Why focus on backpackers?

Backpackers are a highly visible and pervasive type of mobile community in Australia and many other countries. They have a rich culture, engage in ad-hoc information sharing, and follow flocking patterns. They fall under the category of 'extreme mobility' due to their high degree of movement and environment change. Despite being an extreme case, we are discovering many of the products that suit backpackers would be useful for other types of mobile people. Other common examples of mobile groups who use computer support include: delivery people, scuba divers, truck drivers, repair technicians, businesspeople, and academics.
For more detail, see our Backpackers section.

Currently backpacking and want to take part in our research?

What research methods are being used?

We are adapting existing methods such as ethnography, participatory design and diary studies, and applying them to the largely unexplored domain of mobile device design for mobile groups. Many of these methods worked well in static or low-mobility environments, but are not well suited for extreme mobility or group interaction. A lot of our research is actually about the research methods themselves. We are looking to improve research methods so that practitioners building future mobile devices can be better informed.
For more detail, see our Approach section.

Who is running the research?

The project is the PhD research of Jeff Axup, supervised by Stephen Viller and Ian MacColl. The project forms part of the Communities and Place project, which is funded by the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID), and led by Margot Brereton. All the researchers are members of the Information Environments Program at the University of Queensland, and the Interaction Design Research Division within the UQ School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE).
For more detail, see our People section.

Overview	Backpackers	Projects	Approach	People	Papers
What is the aim of the project? A variety of projects are underway to investigate the topics of community, mobility and group interaction. An assortment of research methods are being used to investigate different aspects of mobility, and determine how they relate to mobile device design. The aim of the project is to design an electronic travel assistant for backpackers and extend existing research methods so that they are more appropriate for mobile group research. Mobile devices are increasingly being used by groups to coordinate actions, but they are not designed for group usage. For this reason we are investigating how existing social networks of backpackers gossip and plan to augment existing social patterns with mobile technologies.			Why focus on backpackers? Backpackers are a highly visible and pervasive type of mobile community in Australia and many other countries. They have a rich culture, engage in ad-hoc information sharing, and follow flocking patterns. They fall under the category of 'extreme mobility' due to their high degree of movement and environment change. Despite being an extreme case, we are discovering many of the products that suit backpackers would be useful for other types of mobile people. Other common examples of mobile groups who use computer support include: delivery people, scuba divers, truck drivers, repair technicians, businesspeople, and academics. For more detail, see our Backpackers section. Currently backpacking and want to take part in our research? Sign Up
What research methods are being used? We are adapting existing methods such as ethnography, participatory design and diary studies, and applying them to the largely unexplored domain of mobile device design for mobile groups. Many of these methods worked well in static or low-mobility environments, but are not well suited for extreme mobility or group interaction. A lot of our research is actually about the research methods themselves. We are looking to improve research methods so that practitioners building future mobile devices can be better informed. For more detail, see our Approach section.			Who is running the research? The project is the PhD research of Jeff Axup, supervised by Stephen Viller and Ian MacColl. The project forms part of the Communities and Place project, which is funded by the Australasian CRC for Interaction Design (ACID), and led by Margot Brereton. All the researchers are members of the Information Environments Program at the University of Queensland, and the Interaction Design Research Division within the UQ School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE). For more detail, see our People section.