Bringing the High Seas into the Lab to Evaluate Speech Input Feasibility: A Case Study:SiMPE – 5th Workshop on Speech in Mobile and Pervasive Environments (part of ACM MobileHCI’2010)

As mobile technologies continue to penetrate increasingly diverse domains of use, we accordingly need to understand the feasibility of different interaction technologies across such varied domains. This case study describes an investigation into whether speechbased input is a feasible interaction option for use in a complex, and arguably extreme, environment of use – that is, lobster fishing vessels. We reflect on our approaches to bringing the “high seas” into lab environments for this purpose, comparing the results obtained via our lab and our field studies. Our hope is that the work presented here will go some way to enhancing the literature in terms of approaches to bringing complex real-world contexts into lab environments for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of specific interaction technologies.

Bringing the High Seas into the Lab to Evaluate Speech Input Feasibility: A Case Study : SiMPE – 5th Workshop on Speech in Mobile and Pervasive Environments (part of ACM MobileHCI’2010)

As mobile technologies continue to penetrate increasingly diverse domains of use, we accordingly need to understand the feasibility of different interaction technologies across such varied domains. This case study describes an investigation into whether speechbased input is a feasible interaction option for use in a complex, and arguably extreme, environment of use – that is, lobster fishing vessels. We reflect on our approaches to bringing the “high seas” into lab environments for this purpose, comparing the results obtained via our lab and our field studies. Our hope is that the work presented here will go some way to enhancing the literature in terms of approaches to bringing complex real-world contexts into lab environments for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of specific interaction technologies.

A technique for incorporating dynamic paths in lab-based mobile evaluations

Increasingly, lab evaluations of mobile applications are incorporating mobility. The inclusion of mobility alone, however, is insufficient to generate a realistic evaluation context since real-life users will typically be required to monitor their environment while moving through it. While field evaluations represent a more realistic evaluation context, such evaluations pose difficulties, including data capture and environmental control, which mean that a lab-based evaluation is often a more practical choice. This paper describes a novel evaluation technique that mimics a realistic mobile usage context in a lab setting. The technique requires that participants monitor their environment and change the route they are walking to avoid dynamically changing hazards (much as reallife users would be required to do). Two studies that employed this technique are described, and the results (which indicate the technique is useful) are discussed.

Bringing a construction site into the lab:a context-relevant lab-based evaluation of a multimodal mobile application

Mobile technology has not yet achieved widespread acceptance in the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. This paper presents work that is part of an ongoing research project focusing on the development of multimodal mobile applications for use in the AEC industry. This paper focuses specifically on a context-relevant lab-based evaluation of two input modalities – stylus and soft-keyboard v. speech-based input – for use with a mobile data collection application for concrete test technicians. The manner in which the evaluation was conducted as well as the results obtained are discussed in detail.