50. EMOTIPIX: MOBILE PHONES FOR PERIPHERAL COMMUNICATION

Department: Computer Science & Engineering
Faculty Advisor(s): William Griswold

Primary Student
Name: Lisa G. Cowan
Email: lgcowan@ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-534-9669
Grad Year: 2010

Abstract
Mobile users often have limited time and attention to devote to keeping in touch, and may find it difficult to maintain social connections on the go. We posit that a peripheral display model for photo-based communication via mobile phones – if specifically designed for the mobile milieu – can maintain social awareness with minimal effort and distraction. We explore this model with Emotipix, an application for subscription-based photo sharing on camera phones.

Emotipix turns the phone into a ubiquitous peripheral communication device by appropriating the background of the phone’s “home” screen to display an automatic slide show of friends’ photos. Thus, you see these photos whenever you use your phone. To close the communication loop, you simply tap the display to send "karma" (i.e., feedback) to the photograph. This (1) adds your "sticker" (i.e., identifying thumbnail) to the edge of the picture, (2) sends the (modified) photo back to your friends, and (3) implicitly ranks the picture to improve future photo display.

We conducted a two-week user study with six pairs and one four-person group. We found that Emotipix provided social awareness without distracting users from ongoing activities; embedding the display at a transition point of the workflow resulted in the display being seen regularly, and users did not find the display disruptive. Emotipix enriched the social milieu, creating opportunities for conversation and both reflecting and reinforcing personal relationships. We also found that users’ desires to control the viewing experience challenged the mobile peripheral display model. To meet this challenge, we propose improving automated image selection and adding a few key interaction choices and visual cues.

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