Alan Chamberlain
Dr Alan Chamberlain is currently a Senior Research Fellow in the Mixed Reality Lab, University of Nottingham. He has published numerous papers on many aspects of Human Computer Interaction and has successfully obtained funding for research projects. He is currently interested in the development of systems in real world settings (Research in the Wild) . His main research interests are listed below.
His research interests relate to real-world problems as articulated by various communities of practice and relate to Human Computer Interaction, Ethnography, Action Research, Participatory Design, Rural Aspects of Computing, and User Engagement in order to develop networks of people that are able to involve themselves in the practices of innovation and design.
Current Projects
Bridging the Rural Divide - Project Manager/Recognised Research Fellow/Co-writer. RCUK Funded
Bridging the Urban Rural Divide (BURD) - Scaling the Rural Enterprise - Co Investigator (Researcher). RCUK Funded
Phone: +44 (115) 846 6534
Address: Dr Alan Chamberlain
Mixed Reality Lab
Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Jubilee Campus
Wollaton Road
Nottingham
NG8 1BB
United Kingdom
His research interests relate to real-world problems as articulated by various communities of practice and relate to Human Computer Interaction, Ethnography, Action Research, Participatory Design, Rural Aspects of Computing, and User Engagement in order to develop networks of people that are able to involve themselves in the practices of innovation and design.
Current Projects
Bridging the Rural Divide - Project Manager/Recognised Research Fellow/Co-writer. RCUK Funded
Bridging the Urban Rural Divide (BURD) - Scaling the Rural Enterprise - Co Investigator (Researcher). RCUK Funded
Phone: +44 (115) 846 6534
Address: Dr Alan Chamberlain
Mixed Reality Lab
Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Jubilee Campus
Wollaton Road
Nottingham
NG8 1BB
United Kingdom
less
InterestsView All (33)
Uploads
Papers
Open Access Link to institutional hosted version
https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/OutputFile/23801863
Open Access Link to institutional hosted version
https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/OutputFile/23801863
As the network is made available to an increasingly diverse set of users each exploiting the infrastructure for a broad set of activities, the need to understand what people do with the network and how they do it becomes critical. Equally important, network systems not only need to be presented to a diverse set of non-expert users, they need to be understood and often managed by users who are not skilled network operators. The need to combine human and systems understanding of the network has already been recognized by the SIGCOMM community with the establishment of dedicated workshops such as Homenets (2010, 2011) and W-MUST (2011, 2012).
As well as highlighting the importance of understanding users and engaging in interdisciplinary projects, these workshops also recognize the critical need for SIGCOMM researchers to increase their understanding of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This tutorial responds to this need by providing a synopsis of HCI targeted towards the networking community. We will provide an overview of techniques for understanding users and for designing and evaluating systems that are more user-focused. A particular emphasis will be on understanding how these approaches might be used within the context of networking, what the limits and scope of each approach are, and how researchers might select appropriate techniques for their research question. .
With safety in mind, Rider Spoke has been designed to be a slow, contemplative and heads-up experience. Players are not required to
interact with the device while cycling. Instead they receive notifications of nearby messages in the form of audio alerts through headphones and then stop to listen to these or to record their own messages.
This deliverable presents an evaluation of Rider Spoke from its premiere performance at London’s Barbican centre in October 2007, drawing on feedback from questionnaires and discussions with the design team. 538 players participated in this performance of which 71 completed a detailed questionnaire consisting of 48 questions that probed their background, attitudes and experience.
More than 50% of our respondents were female. Most described themselves as arts enthusiasts, a majority as cyclists (over 40% brought along their own cycles) and just a few as gamers. Perhaps surprisingly, some (4%) said that they never cycle!
Overall, players appeared to have enjoyed the event. 70% would play again and the large majority agreed or strongly agreed that it was ‘fun’ and ‘interesting’. Players often responded favourably to the experience of cycling through the city at dusk and being given the freedom to explore new routes, side streets and back alleys, offering a new perspective on a familiar environment. Many enjoyed listening to other player’s recordings and choosing appropriate locations for their own.
Feedback suggests that Rider Spoke could deliver a powerful emotional charge, in large part due to that way in which it combined a sense of isolation and even vulnerability with the physical act of cycling and also the emotional act of recording and listening to personal stories. This demonstrates a new and potentially powerful approach to creating calm and reflective pervasive experiences that are hopefully well adapted to the use of cycles as a means of transportation.
However, players reported some frustrations too, most notably with the performance of the technology. Improving system response is perhaps the key challenge for future development and we discuss various strategies for achieving this. Some players experienced problems with comfort and also getting lost, both of which might be better managed in future experiences. In particular, it is worth considering special support for inexperienced cyclists, for example shorter and easier routes.
Rider Spoke has already been booked to appear in Athens and Brighton in 2008 and looks set to tour internationally beyond this. Addressing technical performance and comfort issues should lead to a powerful experience that can disseminate IPerG’s work and indeed knowledge of pervasive games in general to public audiences over the coming years.
Reference
Woodgate, D., Stanton Fraser, D., Gower, A., Glancy, M., Gower, A. P., Chamberlain, A., Dillon, T. and Crellin, D., 2010. Using mobile and pervasive technologies to engage formal and informal learners in scientific debate. In: Multiplatform E-Learning Systems and Technologies: Mobile Devices for Ubiquitous ICT-Based Education. Information Science Reference, pp. 196-214.