Jan-Christoph Zoels, Experientia (Italy)
Deep Places: mobile 2.0 and spatial experiences

This research documents selected web 2.0 and mobile trends and developments in social software and networking. The presentation explores Mobile 2.0 user experience through proposed interaction behaviors, service models and content areas all within mobile spaces.

This research documents selected web 2.0 and mobile trends and developments in social software and networking. The presentation explores Mobile 2.0 user experience through proposed interaction behaviors, service models and content areas all within mobile spaces.

Contextual interviews and ethnographic observations of teenagers and young adults in Turin, Italy, focused on identifying significant places and spaces, understanding behavior and current product usage. We observed:
- Constant search for 'the new' - the trendy locations, 'something different.'
- Personalization is important: of MSN, the mobile phone, the backpack...
- Difficulties of integrating various devices: technological devices are mainly used for their primary function.
- Connecting the mobile phone to the PC is perceived to be very cumbersome.
- The digital camera and MP3 player are not replaced, even with more advanced mobile phones that have these functionalities.
- Wish to easily access high quality technologies while on the move.

Background research and contextual inquiry supported five observations:
1. Contextual experiences - the power of Mobile 2.0
2. Awareness of the other - contextual presence
3. Supporting the real with the virtual - the concept of deep spaces
4. Complementing Web 2.0 - hi-res versus timely delivery
5. Exploring the power of many - service interactions across multiple platforms and locations

The resulting concepts (currently under non-disclosure agreement with a major consumer electronics company) were grouped around the following categories: place making, tacit awareness, flocking, social gaming, community building, media sharing and user interface innovations.

The presented insights are the result of an interactive team work by Experientia: Mark Vanderbeeken, Michele Visciola, Alexander Wiethoff, Ana-Camila Amorin, Dave Chiu, Hector Quilhet, Victor Szilagyi, and Jan-Christoph Zoels (project lead).

Cette recherche documente certaines tendances et certains developpements dans le domaine mobile et du Web 2.0 au sein des logiciels sociaux et du reseautage. La presentation explore l'experience des utilisateurs de Mobile 2.0 par des comportements interactifs, modeles de service et themes proposes au sein d'espaces mobiles.

Des entrevues contextuelles et observations ethnographiques ont ete realisees avec des adolescents et de jeunes adultes a Turin, en Italie, mettant l'accent sur la designation de lieux et d'espaces importants, la comprehension du comportement et l'utilisation actuelle de produits.
Voici ce que nous avons observe :
- Recherche continuelle de la nouveaute : les endroits branches, << ce qui est different >>;
- Importance de la personnalisation : de MSN, du telephone cellulaire, du sac a dos...;
- Difficultes de l'integration de divers dispositifs : les dispositifs technologiques sont principalement utilises pour leur fonction premiere;
- Connexion du telephone cellulaire a l'ordinateur personnel percue comme tres encombrant;
- L'appareil photo numerique et le lecteur MP3 ne sont pas remplaces, meme par des telephones cellulaires plus evolues qui possedent les memes fonctionnalites;
- Desir d'acceder facilement a des technologies de grande qualite lors des deplacements.

Une recherche de base et une demande de renseignements contextuelle ont appuye cinq observations :
1. Experiences contextuelles - la puissance de Mobile 2.0;
2. Conscience de l'autre - presence contextuelle;
3. Soutien de la realite avec le virtuel - le concept d'espaces profonds;
4. Complement de Web 2.0 - haute resolution par opposition a livraison rapide;
5. Exploration de la puissance du nombre - interactions de services a l'echelle de plusieurs plates-formes et lieux.

Les notions qui en resultent (actuellement soumises a un accord de non-divulgation avec une grande entreprise d'electronique grand public) ont ete regroupees autour des categories suivantes : conception des lieux, conscience tacite, afflouage, jeu social, batiment d'une communaute, partage des medias et innovations en termes d'interface utilisateur.

Les perspectives presentees proviennent d'un travail d'equipe interactif par Experientia : Mark Vanderbeeken, Michele Visciola, Alexander Wiethoff, Ana-Camila Amorin, Dave Chiu, Hector Quilhet, Victor Szilagyi et Jan-Christoph Zoels (chef de projet).

Jan-Christoph Zoels is responsible for user experience design at Experientia, an experience design consultancy based in Turin, Italy. Until recently he was senior associate professor at Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, where he ran the business innovation workshops called Applied Dreams.

In his work Jan-Christoph focuses specifically on people's experience of mobile services and applications, and on using information technology to support simplicity.

Previously he was director of information architecture for Sapient (New York), and senior designer at Sony Design Center USA, responsible for strategic product development. He holds four patents.

www.experientia.com