Agitating the calmed: exploring Rogers’ engagement agenda for ubiquitous computing

Yvonne Rogers’ 2006 paper advocates a new direction for ubiquitous computing (UbiComp) research that goes beyond Weiser’s “calm computing” vision to look at ways of better engaging users through their lived experiences.

In his 1991 article for the Scientific American, Weiser charts a not-too-distant future where computer systems are simultaneously pervasive and invisible, devoted to serving their human overlords – but staying out of the way whilst doing so. In his “calm computing” world, systems would serve to pacify the user by providing them with all the information they need at the right time and in the right places, making every day ‘as refreshing as taking a walk in the woods’ (Weiser, 1991: 2014). The video below illustrates one such technology described by Weiser, a ‘tab’ – which could be compared to a smartphone today – being tested by researchers at Cambridge in 1994.

15 years on, Rogers makes the case in her paper that we should come to terms with this research raison d’être being no longer realistic or desirable, and that with the benefit of extensive research since, we should be looking at ways technologies can be designed less reactively and more proactively. Summarising three emerging and promising areas of research that align with her alternative vision – playful and learning practices, scientific practices, and persuasive practices – she sets out several examples to demonstrate how research is already moving in this more fruitful direction.

The examples she offers in the first of these areas struck a chord with me, as it got me thinking how there is clear potential for UbiComp technologies to leverage new forms of engagement through creativity, entertainment and play. The Ambient Wood project, for example, encouraged self-initiated and reflective learning in the context of a natural woodland integrated with several technological artefacts. Their learning was guided by their exploration, and their simultaneous engagement with the natural and the electronic worked to sustain their curiosity throughout the exercise. I see the potential for similar exploratory activities to be designed to promote engagement with civic place-making activities; for example, several artefacts could be hidden at important buildings around the city that, when engaged with by participants through a mobile device, reveal intriguing information or provoke a situated response.

Participants in the Ambient Wood project. Source: http://users.mct.open.ac.uk/yvonne.rogers/rthemes.html

Acknowledging that projects aspiring to Weiser’s vision fall short because of inherent technological limitations (can a computer ever truly replicate a human?), and that we must scale down our ambitions accordingly, her suggestion is intriguing. At face value, it seems antithetical to the point of developing technology – to make technology work better for us. However, Rogers offers an extremely valuable contribution by reminding us not to lose touch with ‘the excitement of interaction’ and showing how we can enhance human activities through technology, as opposed to simply replacing them.

 

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The idea that technologies could eventually exhibit human personality traits is exciting for some and concerning for others. The UbiComp paper I have chosen explores the potential of introducing smart home technologies displaying active personality traits – one ‘calm, kind and conscientious’, and another ‘extroverted and cheerful’ (Mennicker et al, 2016).

 

[1] Rogers Y. (2006), Moving on from Weiser’s Vision of Calm Computing: engaging UbiComp experiences, Proceedings of the 2006 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing, pp404-421, New York: ACM.

[2] Weiser, M. (1991), The Computer for the 21st Century, Scientific American, pp94-104.

[3] Mennicker S. et al (2016), “It’s like living with a friendly stranger”: Perceptions of Personality Traits in a Smart Home, UbiComp ’16 Proceedings of the 2016 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing, pp120-131, New York: ACM.