Distributed and Mobile Work:

Technology use in remote settings

EPSRC Project: GR/R09503/01
January 2001 - January 2004


PROJECT SUMMARY

Despite the increasing uptake of mobile information and communications (MIC) technology, developments and research into the area have been largely technologically driven. Human factors research has largely focused on the design of small screens and interface navigation with the devices. Little research has been conducted on the use of devices in collaboration and other work activities, and on how their design should draw from such findings.

Our studies of mobile work have focused on the 'capture and communicate' activities of mobile workers, as well as in their social and organisational patterns of work. We used an interpretive approach to examine how these users employ technology to manage both their work and home life. The findings cover the use of multiple media, device-task specificity, the use of diaries in co-ordination, task 'stacking' and device connectivity, amongst others. These findings have been used to motivate a number of mobile technology designs that have been iteratively prototyped and evaluated. One of the interesting aspects of the use of prototype in this way is as 'technology probes', that allow us to rexplore the mobile users' work practices as they see how the technology would impact on their activities.

More details here


Core material

The new mobile agenda - research manifesto (PDF file). This highlights the citical features of undertaking a user-centred design approach to the study of mobile technology.

Vignettes - these are detailed scenarios of mobile work - for use in examining typical patterns of work, and the resources and constraints faced by mobile workers in their daily activities. These are intended as a public resource for researchers and designers and we would welcome your use of them, although we would be grateful if you would reference the authors.

More details on research publications can be found here.

  • FURTHER DETAILS

    Mark Perry,
    DISC,
    Brunel University,
    Uxbridge,
    Middlesex,
    UB8 3PH, UK.

    Phone:01895 274000 x2395
    Mobile: 0790 151 0906
    Mark.Perry@brunel.ac.uk