Posted on behalf of Alexandra Weilenmann [[log in to unmask]] Reminder: Call for papers MUM 2003 workshop December 10, Norrköping, Sweden Deadline for workshop submissions: November 1 Designing for ubicomp in the wild: Methods for exploring the design of mobile and ubiquitous services Mobile and ubiquitous services are designed to be used by people "in the wild", engaged in activities ranging from work to leisure, and not necessarily tied to a particular place. These characteristics make it challenging to design such systems. The controlled lab environment is not a realistic setting for carrying out studies of these systems. There is a need for new, innovative methods of exploring design of mobile and ubiquitous services in the wild. This workshop will discuss and make practical use of methods for early design of mobile and ubiquitous services. While mobile services in many respects are similar to interactive services in general, they have some properties that sometimes make it difficult to borrow the methods developed for general human-computer interaction. One obvious difference is the "baby interface" problem. Small buttons, small screens and small interaction devices (tiny joysticks, tiny pens) require special solutions. The interaction models for mobile phones and PDA:s vary from imitations of direct manipulation metaphors to handcrafted, telecom-based, interaction models. Perhaps more challenging differences between desktop computing applications and mobile applications lie in the context of use, where mobile services will rely on fast interactions in sometimes noisy environments, rather than the more quiet and stable office-usage. Many mobile services also explore properties of context as part of their functionality. They might make use of the position the user is at, the presence of other users nearby connected in ad-hoc networks, or information provided by objects (using e.g. RFID-tags) or interactive devices (e.g. Bluetooth stations) nearby. For mobile services, small bursts of usage are often extended throughout the entire day, and in many different places. Some services will be useful only during a specific time span, such as when people move close to each other, or when a user passes an object. The "windows of opportunity" that open up when users move between different locations and networks can be exploited to design time-based mobile services that offer very different functionality from stationary technology. In stationary settings, the digital and physical worlds are more or less separated (users 'look into' and manipulate the digital world on the computer screen). In contrast, in mobile and ubiquitous systems these realms may be combined. Sensors, smart rooms and ambient environments capture real world information of users and devices and represent it in a format that is usable in the digital realm. In addition, by attaching digital information to users we can merge digital and embodied presence. These technologies have the potential to transform how users navigate and experience places and will have a profound impact on concepts of spaces, places and presence. Submissions Position papers of a maximum length of 4 pages, double column, ACM format (www.acm.org/sigs/pubs/proceed/template.html), in Word, should be sent to Kristina Höök, [log in to unmask] These will be reviewed by the program committee. Deadline for submissions: 1st of November. Notification of acceptance: 20th of November. Organisers Kristina Höök, Professor at DSV, SU/KTH Alexandra Weilenmann, PhD, Viktoria/Interactive Institute The workshop is organised as part of the SSF-funded project "Mobile Services" and the VINNOVA-funded project "Mobile Life" (www.sics.se/humle/projects/moblife/index.php). Program committee Barry Brown, Glasgow University, UK Matthew Chalmers, Glasgow University, UK Geri Gay, Cornell University, UK Lars Erik Holmquist, Viktoria Institute, Sweden Richard Harper, Appliance Studio and the Digital World Research Centre, UK Kristina Höök, Stockholm University/KTH, Sweden Giulio Iacucci, University of Oulu, Finland Minna Isomursu, University of Oulu, Finland Oskar Juhlin, Interactive Institute, Sweden Martin Svensson, SICS, Sweden Loren Terveen, Minnesota University, USA Alexandra Weilenmann, Interactive Institute, Sweden Erik Wistrand, Newmad, Sweden Format The workshop will be organised as a one-day workshop the day before the MUM conference in Norrköping, (http://mum2003.itn.liu.se/). The day will start with quick presentations of the participants, followed by 8 - 10 position paper presentations. Finally, the group will be divided into two, testing two different methods for input to and early design of mobile and ubiquitous services.