This paper presents Eclipse, a platform for low-cost urban environmental sensing using solar-powered and cellular-connected devices. Dense sensor networks promise to monitor pollution at fine spatial and temporal resolutions, yet few cities have actually implemented such networks due to high costs and limited accuracy. We address these barriers by developing an end-to-end framework for urban air quality sensing with minimal infrastructure requirements. We designed an unobtrusive device that collects data on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pres-sure. A modular design further includes four low-cost gas sensors - Ozone (03), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) - selected based on local priorities. We deployed 115 devices across Chicago, reliably collecting data for over 90% of expected sensor-hours from July 2 - September 30, 2021. We further developed a calibration strategy that reduced errors by 41.2 – 98.8%, improving accuracy to levels recommended for hotspot detection (PM2.5and 03) or education (NO2and SO2). Through this work, we offer insights on the real-world deployment of a replicable, large-scale, end-to-end platform for hyperlocal urban environmental sensing.

A 2D color barcode can hold much more information than a binary barcode. Barcodes are often intended for consumer use where using a cellphone, a consumer can take an image of a barcode on a product, and retrieve relevant information about the product. The barcode must be read using computer vision techniques. While a color barcode can hold more information, it makes this vision task in consumer scenarios unusually challenging. We present our approach to the localization and segmentation of a 2D color barcode in such challenging scenarios, along with its evaluation on a diverse collection of images of Microsoft's recently launched High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB). We exploit the unique trait of barcode reading: the barcode decoder can give the vision algorithm feedback, and develop a progressive strategy to achieve both - high accuracy in diverse scenarios as well as computational efficiency.

We report on the value sensitive design, development, and appropriation of a groupware system to support software engineering knowledge sharing. Usage data (5,965 visitors) and semi-structured interviews (18 individuals) suggest the methods employed were successful in addressing value tensions, particularly with respect to privacy, awareness, and reputation. Key contributions include: (1) "proof-of-concept" that established Value Sensitive Design principles and methods can be used to good effect for the design of groupware in an industry setting, (2) a new design method for addressing value tensions, Value Dams and Flows, and (3) demonstration of the co-evolution of technology and organizational policy.

Industry trends suggest that the PC and telephone user experiences will converge over the next several years. This convergence raises important questions for the HCI community: how should the PC-phone user experience be designed, and how does PC-phone technology affect work practices? This paper focuses on the first question and provides some initial data on the second question. We describe a PC-phone prototype we built called Enhanced Telephony, and we report data from an eight month field deployment of Enhanced Telephony within our company where over 7,000 people installed the prototype. Results indicate that PC-phone software is a promising technology for the workplace and that the most valuable features may be those that help people manage their incoming calls.

Most information retrieval technologies are designed to facilitate information discovery. However, much knowledge work involves finding and re-using previously seen information. We describe the design and evaluation of a system, called Stuff I've Seen (SIS), that facilitates information re-use. This is accomplished in two ways. First, the system provides a unified index of information that a person has seen, whether it was seen as email, web page, document, appointment, etc. Second, because the information has been seen before, rich contextual cues can be used in the search interface. The system has been used internally by more than 230 employees. We report on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of system use. Initial findings show that time and people are important retrieval cues. Users find information more easily using SIS, and use other search tools less frequently after installation.

The concept of awareness has received increasing attention over the past several CSCW conferences. Although many awareness interfaces have been designed and studied, most have been limited deployments of research prototypes. In this paper we describe Sideshow, a peripheral awareness interface that was rapidly adopted by thousands of people in our company. Sideshow provides regularly updated peripheral awareness of a broad range of information from virtually any accessible web site or database. We discuss Sideshow's design and the experience of refining and redesigning the interface based on feedback from a rapidly expanding user community.

Three public spaces frequency used by members of a single organization who are distributed across different floors of two buildings were linked by constantly-running video and audio connections. We discuss the design of the system, including issues in providing low-latency, full-duplex audio-video connectivity, ways to increase possibilities for interaction while addressing privacy concerns, and the introduction of the system to the community. We report on responses to the system and lessions learned, including unexpected issues, such as creative decorations of the spaces and assertions by a vocal minority of employees about the private nature of “public space.”

The current generation of desktop computers and networks are bringing streaming audio and video into widespread use. A small investment allows presentations or lectures to be multicast, enabling passive viewing from offices or rooms. We surveyed experienced viewers of multicast presentations and designed a lightweight system that creates greater awareness in the presentation room of remote viewers and allows remote viewers to interact with each other and the speaker. We report on the design, use, and modification of the system, and discuss design tradeoffs.

Previous research on Tutored Video Instruction (TVI) shows that learning is enhanced when small groups of students watch and discuss lecture videos together. Using specialized, high-end videoconferencing systems, these improved results have been shown to apply even when the students are in different locations (Distributed TVI, or DTVI). In this paper, we explore two issues in making DTVI-like scenarios widely supported at low cost. First, we explore design of a system that allows distributed individuals to collectively watch video using shared VCR controls such as play, pause, seek, stop. We show how such a system can be built on top of existing commercial technologies. Second, we explore the impact of four alternative discussion channels on student learning and interaction behavior. The four channels-text chat, audioconferencing, videoconferencing, and face-to-face-have differing infrastructure requirements and costs. Our lab studies show that while text chat does not work, there is no significant difference in discussion behavior and learning between audioconferencing and videoconferencing. While lab studies have their limitations and long-term field studies need to be done, the preliminary results point to a low-cost way for a DTVI-like model to be deployed widely in the very near future.