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Ava Fatah gen. Schiek
Bartlett School of Graduate Studies / Cityware project
Extract taken from "Design Tools for Pervasive Computing in Urban Environments" by Ava Fatah gen. Schiek, Alan Penn, Vassilis Kostakos, Eamonn O'Neill, Tim Kindberg, Danae Stanton Fraser, Tim Jones. Presented at DDSS 2006: http://2006.ddss.nl/programme.php#s4b
3.3 Exploring mobile and digital behaviour in Bath
As well as capturing quantitative data we are carrying out complementary qualitative analysis of behaviour as an additional part of our methodology. This process addresses people’s behaviour towards technology in social and public spaces. A one-day pilot study was conducted with the intention to gather initial evidence about the use of mobile and digital technology in the urban space. Observations were made throughout 5 time periods between 10:30 am and 5:00 pm by a group of 8 observers. Types of behaviour in reference to use of e.g mobile phones and PDAs were observed and their locations were recorded in 7 selected urban spaces. This was complemented by an observation in a public café in Bath. Different types of behaviour were observed in relation to space properties. For instance, in pedestrianised areas mobile device usage was more obvious close to the locations of heavy movement flow. In contrast, in areas close to vehicle movement less mobile phone usage was recorded, these tended to occur near bus stops and waiting locations (Figure10: left). People at the bus stops used the phone to give updated information on temporal uncertainties: ‘no sign of a bus yet, I'll let you know when I am on it’.
In these locations the social behaviours and the interaction spaces appear to take a shape which provides the person with more privacy (Figure 9: left). This seems to be supported by the properties and affordance of the physical environment encouraging a certain type of behaviour.
Figure 9. Mobile phone use supported by the properties of the physical environment
We also noted differences in the walking pace (e.g. fast, slow) of the mobile phone user which may be related to the age (e.g. young teenager, business woman) and apparent social class of the user. But it might also be related to the area in which the mobile was being used (e.g. fast in the integrated areas, slow in the less integrated area with a tendency to move body orientation to be a ‘removal from distraction’ or avoiding interrupting others with one's conversation. People on the phone tended to place their back to the main space, often facing windows or other objects on the wall, or gazing into shop windows from the street while on the phone. This also applies to the observations which were conducted in a public café in Bath
(Figure 10: right).Figure 10. left:
Mobile phone use near a bus stop and close to the ATM, which is situated in a
way failing to create a private interaction space for an interaction involving private use, right:
Mobile phone use in the café supported by the properties of the physical layout
In these observations two key factors seem to emerge. First, people tend to use the mobile phone while queuing to place their order. This is likely to happen close to the sale’s counter and could be a sign of people giving updated information on temporal uncertainties. ‘I am in the queue, where are you?’ Second, many people put their mobile phone on the table immediately after arriving and leave it visible. This might be to mark a territory or perhaps to take the place of a ‘potential other’ person. We also observed differences between singles and groups in this behaviour. In a group we see people toying with their phones when talking to the rest of the group. Other type of mobile behaviour include receiving a phone call or making one or even talking on the phone while approaching their table (Figure 11).
Figure 11. Mobile phone use in the café supported by the physical layout, but also related to
the individuals intentions
All these reflect a repetitive pattern of generic behaviour, which could take different forms and would reflect different intentions. In this observation based methodology we try to understand these in relation to the properties of the architectural space. However, we are also interested in looking at the social and mobile behaviour from the individual’s view. This raises some questions related to the intentions of the individual, for instance the level of certainty and uncertainty in timing of a meeting which would encourage the usage of a mobile phone at a certain point. To address these questions in detail relatively longer term observations are needed to capture the transitions between the states that will allow us to make sensible deductions about these readings of observations such as the ‘potential other’ status of the phone on the table-the frequency of usage, the differences between singles and groups in this behaviour. Engaging our cohort of volunteers over a three year period will enable more extensive insight into social and digital interaction around the city, alongside more extensive observational studies.
