E-graffiti: Evalutating Real-World Use of a Context-Aware System

E-graffiti: Evalutating Real-World Use of a Context-Aware System by Jenna Burrell and Gerri K. Gay, Where, When?

The authors talk about their study of the usability of a context-aware application and spatial annotation named E-graffiti. They installed E-graffiti on 57 student’s notebooks. Some of the issues that emerged in the evaluation stage included difficulties with a misleading conceptual model (students ended up using it as an IM tool), lack of use to the reliance on explicit user input, the need for a highly relevant contextual focus (i.e. a specific scenario), and the potential benefit of rapid, ongoing prototype development in tandem with user evaluation (no automatic application update).

The conceptual model of the application is very similar to our own ShoutSpace, execpt that ShoutSpace uses maps to support the annotation of places. However it might face the same usability issues as E-graffiti if we do not find more specific scenarios.

The authors were interested to see what type of information users associated with their context of use, whether or not they had problems understanding location-awareness, and if they coud find interesting and novel uses for this type of system.

Results

• After introductin the system to the communications class, use did not extent much beyond initial test messages
• 75% of the users logged into E-graffiti at only 1 or 2 locations on the network during the semester
• Many of the notes users contributed seemed to have little relevance at all to the location they were being associated with.
• Awareness of the presence of others on the system is a type of context-awareness which students expressed a desire for through these types of notes. (No mention to privacy issues here)
• Students used E-graffiti as a type of networked instant-messaging or e-mail system. The conceptual model of the designers did not match the mental model of the students
• A better method for designing context-aware system might have been to use a map of campus to organize the notes and to support attaching notes to locations on the map interface.
• They could have removed the private note functionality entirely to not suggesting too much the e-mail model of communication
• In the questionnnaire users commented 23 times about the lack of use by others as a reason for not using the system. E-graffiti was too open-ended. Students did not know what to write, and did not really have anything to share with others at location. They needed more directions and suggestions about unique ways to use the system. To resolve this issue, context-aware applications might be designed around a highly relevant contextual focus (i.e. a clear scenario).
• In future systems, the authors plan to include a feature that will upload the most recent verrsion of the application to the users computer automatically. This will make the iterative design process more immediate, and allow to make small adjustments and observe results