This paper presents a large-scale analysis of contextualized smartphone usage in real life. We introduce two contextual variables that condition the use of smartphone applications, namely places and social context. Our study shows strong dependencies between phone usage and the two contextual cues, which are automatically extracted based on multiple built-in sensors available on the phone. By analyzing continuous data collected on a set of 77 participants from a European country over 9 months of actual usage, our framework automatically reveals key patterns of phone application usage that would traditionally be obtained through manual logging or questionnaire. Our findings contribute to the large-scale understanding of applications and context, bringing out design implications for interfaces on smartphones.

Mobile phones have recently been used to collect largescale continuous data about human behavior. This people centric sensing paradigm is useful not only from a scientific point of view: Contextual user data has pragmatic value, too. Individuals whose data is collected in such long-term people centric sensing projects can be engaged in user centric design activities aiming to generate data driven services that benefit the end user. This paper demonstrates the value of such user centric approach. In a two-stage approach, we analyse mobile phone data to extract mobile phone usage c ategories. We then go on to interview the participants concerning their perceptions toward context-aware services. The two sta ges, combined as we present here, offer a clear value in ter ms of provi ding complementary insights, both to researchers and users, about the feasibility of and the expectations about personalized mobile services.

This paper describes investigation of a mobile communication system that helps alleviate fear experienced in the urban context. In order to obtain empirically grounded insights for the concept design, urban females in their twenties and thirties and living in Bangalore, New Delhi and San Francisco, were studied. More than 200 females filled in an online survey. Extensive qualitative data for 13 participants were collected through week long diaries, semi-structured interviews, and situated participative enactment of scenarios. Fear-related concerns were voiced both in India and the U.S., suggesting that reducing fear, particularly in a pedestrian context after the onset of darkness, could be a globally applicable need. User research findings into subjective experiences of fear, contexts in which they occur, and behavioral strategies were used to design a mobile service titled ComfortZones. This concept was developed to the level of a high fidelity prototype and tested in a field trial in India. The investigation highlights further opportunities for design, particularly the notion of emphasizing positive and socially successful qualities of cities to communities concerned with their safety and security.

This paper presents research findings on designing social features for mobile wellness applications. The focus is on opportunities to support and motivate wellness by utilizing and enhancing social interaction between users. New knowledge is created using a 'Research through Design' process. The process combines findings of the user studies performed in India during the year 2008, existing research knowledge on mobile communication technology that provides social features to support wellness activities, and technological possibilities provided by the mobile devices available in the market at the time of the research. New design knowledge is presented in the format of design findings and concept descriptions, as well as concept evaluations. These can then be used by practitioners as inspirational material for product design, and by researchers for exploring the domain of wellness applications.

We describe the design drivers, prototype and one-month field study results of a mobile contacts application incorporating new features and design elements. The design was inspired by 8 hypotheses on the potential new uses of a mobile contacts application. A total of 16 users from varying age groups and prior experiences with mobile phones participated in the trial of a prototype application running on Series 60 platform. The results of the user trial show that allowing personalization and reflection of own communication behavior are key factors motivating users to explore new usage of Contacts application. We also discuss a cultivator vs. communicator dimension of user preference towards contacts application use observed during the trial.

A number of emerging technologies including mobile phones and services, on-line shopping and portals, and games and communities are designed to provide users with control over appearance and functioning. Understanding why users personalise could help design personalisation features so that they promote the acceptance and adoption of information and communication technology (ICT). This paper examines the psychological underpinnings of users’ willingness to expend effort to personalise ICT. The important role of the basic need of self-determination [Deci, E.L., Ryan, R.M., 2000. The“what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry 11, 227–268] is argued for. Personalisation features can align the psychological resources with the user’s action and therefore enhance performance and enjoyment of use. First, they can promote autonomy and the sense of being an origin and therefore transform technology to ‘my technology.’ Second, personalisation features can support competence by increasing the effectiveness of user’s actions. At its best, personalisation becomes rewarding activity in itself regardless of the achieved effects, for example when personalisable features participate in flow experiences. Third, through its appearance functions, technology can support the basic need of relatedness through expression of emotion and identity, ego-involvement, and territory marking. Several positive effects can be identified: engagement, performance, persistence, identity, social acceptance, and social status. The paper concludes by discussing implications to design.

In this paper, we describe the development and experiences with a mobile group communication application, mCell, that runs on a mobile phone. We present the underlying design implications, the application implementation, and a user study, where three groups used the application for one month. The findings of the user study reveal general user experiences with the application and show different patterns of usage depending on the social setting of the group, and how the preferred features vary accordingly.

Using qualitative data, Blom and Monk (2003 Blom, J. and Monk, A. 2003. A theory of personalisation: why people personalise their PCs and mobile phones. Human Computer Interaction, 18: 193–228. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) derived a theory of why people choose to personalise the appearance of their PCs and mobile phones. This paper describes some quantitative data that provide some support for, and some modifications to, the theory. Individuals having personal home pages were recruited to fill in a questionnaire that assesses dispositions to personalise and its effects. In addition the 82 home pages were inspected to assess the extent of personalisation. This correlated significantly with the dispositions ‘Frequency of Use’ and ‘Knowledge of Personalisation’. The questionnaire items corresponding to effects were factor analysed. A four-factor solution suggested item groupings similar, but not identical, to those used in the theory. There are significant positive correlations between the extent of personalisation and cognitive effects and enduring emotional effects. The value of quantitative data for confirming and refining a qualitative theory is discussed.

In spring of 2003, a mobile field trial of a concept prototype application titled Scent was conducted in a corporate environment, attracting more than 500 voluntary users. Scent was a social proximity application enabling scanning of one's immediate environment for other Scent users and initiating social exchanges with them. The design of Scent prototype application aimed at incorporating various facets of face-to-face social interaction. This gave trial users multiple options of using the application in any given social context during the unguided trial period. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed, which helped shaping up the foundation to further the research in understanding mediated social proximity interaction. The study revealed not only motivations of use, but also barriers of adoptions, which in turn had implications on evolutionary steps of the development and on the prospect of market entry. Identity expression was seen as the most rudimentary motivation in mediated social proximity interaction. The final section of the paper discusses how the research team utilized the field trial in the spearhead research project in an emerging arena of social interaction.

This paper presents the design, implementation and validation of an enhanced mobile phone messaging system (DeDe), allowing the sender to define the context in which the message will be delivered to the recipient. A field trial among a socially tight group of teenagers showed that the DeDe feature was incorporated as part of the participants' existing messaging culture. 11,4% of their total messaging output made use of the DeDe feature. The most frequently used context parameters were location (based on network cell-ID) and time. Novel message practices emerged, as compared to 'normal' messaging, both in terms of timing of message sending, as well as creating content that specifically exploited the DeDe feature. Some use barriers were recognized, the most important being the sender's uncertainty of delivery success. Implications for design are discussed.

Three linked qualitative studies were performed to investigate why people choose to personalize the appearance of their PCs and mobile phones and what effects personalization has on their subsequent perception of those devices. The 1st study involved 35 frequent Internet users in a 2-stage procedure. In the 1st phase they were taught to personalize a commercial Web portal and then a recommendation system, both of which they used in the subsequent few days. In the 2nd phase they were allocated to 1 of 7 discussion groups to talk about their experiences with these 2 applications. Transcripts of the discussion groups were coded using grounded theory analysis techniques to derive a theory of personalization of appearance that identifies (a) user-dependent, system-dependent, and contextual dispositions; and (b) cognitive, social, and emotional effects. The 2nd study concentrated on mobile phones and a different user group. Three groups of Finnish high school students discussed the personalization of their mobile phones. Transcripts of these discussions were coded using the categories derived from the 1st study and some small refinements were made to the theory in the light of what was said. Some additional categories were added; otherwise, the theory was supported. In addition, 3 independent coders, naive to the theory, analyzed the transcripts of 1 discussion group each. A high degree of agreement with the investigators' coding was demonstrated. In the 3rd study, a heterogeneous sample of 8 people who used the Internet for leisure purposes were visited in their homes. The degree to which they had personalized their PCs was found to be well predicted by the dispositions in the theory. Design implications of the theory are discussed.