The Zen of Everyday Encounters: Spontaneous Interaction in Ubiquitous Systems

The chance encounter with a colleague in the corridor; the discussion around a table or whiteboard in a meeting room; the interactions over sketches on table napkins in a restaurant: those are all examples of spontaneity in the absence of electronic devices. In ubiquitous computing, where there are “hundreds of computers per room” [7]; personal devices carried or worn by the humans; and computational services associated even with non-electronic entities 3/4 people places and things [4] 3/4 the opportunities for spontaneous sharing of ideas and media should multiply [3,5]. In this talk I shall take spontaneity, like mobility, to be a basic human desideratum. While some might prefer the routine, in general we stand to benefit from the serendipitous availability of other people and computational resources as we move around in our everyday lives. At first sight, there is room for optimism about realising that vision. For example, cash machines are a reasonably successful example of the design of “walk up and use” devices: in a foreign city, we happen upon one and successfully withdraw cash with little chance of error. But spontaneity in ubiquitous computing is far more challenging. First, it encompasses multi-device, multi-human interaction. For example, one user shows the other a document from their mobile personal server [6] on a convenient nearby screen; a group of friends play their media to one another using whatever devices there are between them in a bedroom or living-room [1]. Second, the invisibility of wireless associations can be as much of a hindrance as an aid to spontaneity [2]. I will examine the opportunities and the challenges for spontaneous interaction, using case studies to make a progress report for the research community.