Exploring Mobility

Mobile research covers a wide variety of situations, from museum patrons wandering around a building, to people travelling between continents. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) has traditionally studied more static groups of people who are nearby each other (collocated). Our research focuses on a more extreme case of mobility that involves groups which move for long duration and meet and disperse frequently in ad-hoc formations. Consequently we are discovering that different research methods are needed to understand backpackers' changing types of mobility and network formations. We are running 5 types of research studies shown in the diagram to the right. Each study aims to understand design requirements and probe different aspects of backpackers' mobility.

Section A is examining groups that share the same space, but are together for short periods of time. Section B involved interviews with backpackers who were living in a hostel and working for longer periods of time in one location. Section C involves contacting backpackers who are distributed (travelling alone or in pairs) and take a moment to interact with us. Section D is using travel diaries from backpackers who share longer duration of travel experiences with us. Section E used interviews in hostels, with backpackers engaged in a variety of different movement styles. Each study is described in more detail below.

Mobile Information Sharing (A)

Purpose:
In this sequence of studies we are taking an action research approach in that we are actively looking to solve problems for those we study. We are seeking first to explore, and then to augment mobile communication behaviour amongst backpackers. We are taking groups of six backpackers on a "field trip" which is similar to trips they normally go on while travelling. The trip involves 3 different stages of mobility and gives the participants opportunities to do what they want. We are using various recording methods including video, audio and shadowing.

Existing un-augmented behaviour is being reviewed first; introduction of low-fidelity prototypes will follow to better understand in-situ use of future mobile technologies. Portions of these studies are examining existing social network formation and information exchange amongst mobile groups.

Results:
We are finding that the backpackers' local environments dramatically affect what they discuss, who they talk with and how relationships form. Without prompting, backpackers naturally discuss current technologies they use and problems they have with them. This can directly be used for product design ideas. Video has been problematic in noisy, mobile, group discussion settings and we are developing better ways to record and understand mobile group behavior. One surprise is that during interviews backpackers denied sharing and giving personal items but this has been commonly observed during the studies. Information sharing (gossiping) is completely natural for these travellers (in fact, it would be difficult to stop it). Simply listening to it produces a wealth of knowledge about information they need and technologies which could support existing behaviour.

Hostel Interviews (B,E)

Purpose:
The people we design for tend to know more about their own situation than the designers. For this reason we spent time in a variety of hostels and ran interviews in two of them. We looked at notice boards backpackers use, investigated rooms they stay in and talked to hostel managers. Interviews were conducted in communal areas in the hostels such as lounges, patios and kitchens and resulted in a variety of semi-structured conversations. Backpackers are usually happy to discuss their experiences and problems they have while travelling. We have also investigated use of participatory methods which probe existing relationships and the strength of connections with remote members of their social networks.

Results:
Backpackers are already using a number of technologies while travelling. These devices have problems and there are many unexplored niches for technology development. We heard many stories about how people met while on the road, how they keep in contact with loved ones and common situations they encounter. We discovered that despite doing very similar activities, there are many lost opportunities for meeting others they would like to meet. Hostels aren't inter-networked, guidebooks aren't interactive, message boards are slow and too localized, and gossip is usually the best travel information. While randomness and chance encounters are an appreciated part of the travel ambiance, opportunities exist to make the travel experience even more fun for backpackers.

Postcard Study (C)

Purpose:
Backpackers move over long distances, often staying only a few nights in each location. How do these different locations affect what services they need, how they communicate and how they answer research questions? Our postcard study aims to explore a variety of geographic locations around Australia and see how location and dispersion affects design ideas and perspectives on traveling. We are sending 1000 postcards containing questions about situation and design requirements. These will be distributed at 10 hostels in 5 Australian cities to investigate these questions concerning distributed networks.

Results:
This study is currently in progress and we will post preliminary results as they become available.

Web Diaries (D)

Purpose:
Many backpackers keep travel diaries and take photos. This is done in part to record travel experiences, but more importantly to share them with others. Consequently this practice is rapidly going onto the web in the form of blogs, travel websites, mobblogs and photo albums. Soon it will merge with wireless connectivity and picture-phones. When many people think of mobility they think of an example such as someone walking down the street. Backpackers travel extremely long distances and provide a whole new perspective on the term 'mobile'. Travel diary websites provide detailed accounts of daily behavior and situations backpackers face. We want to find out how large movement patterns can be visualized and how large-scale mobility affects mobile product designs.

Results:
Some backpackers keep almost daily logs for a year or more of traveling. They show problems they have, where they moved, rates of travel and typical usage situations. Graphs can be developed which show the relation between geographical location, activities and social network growth. Consequently we are gaining insight into how to develop a communication system which augments existing social networks and can assist backpackers to connect and make friends.