Abstract
The augmentation of visitor experiences with location-based technologies has been available for some time. Through in-depth studies of users during these experiences the field is building a rich picture of user behaviour in relation to certain location-based technologies. However, little work has explored the use of mobile camera phones and 2D barcodes on situated signs and their properties as a way of delivering such augmented visitor experiences. In this paper we present a study of people engaged in such a location-based experience at London zoo in which they use mobile camera phones to read 2D barcodes on signs at the animal enclosures in order to access related content. Through the fieldwork we highlight the social and collaborative aspects of the experience and how particular characteristics of the mobile phone and barcode technology shape these behaviours. The paper also highlights some of the non-instrumental aspects of the location-based experience, in particular in relation to the importance of collecting location-based content. We explore the social aspects of collecting as well as certain competitive elements it introduces into people’s behaviour. This creates an interesting tension in that aspects of the application encourage cooperation and sharing among the visitors whereas others encourage competition. In the course of presenting the fieldwork, we explore this tension further.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abowd G.D., Atkeson C.G., Hong J., Long S., Kooper R., Pinkerton M. (1997) Cyberguide: A Mobile Context-Aware Tour Guide. ACM Wireless Networks, 3(3): 421–433
Aoki, P.M., R.E. Grinter, A. Hurst, M.H. Szymanski, J.D. Thornton and A. Woodruff (2002): Sotto Voce: Exploring the Interplay of Conversation and Mobile Audio Spaces. CHI ’02, Conference on Human factors in Computing Systems. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Bal M. (1994) Telling Objects: A Narrative Perspective on Collecting. In Elsner J., Cardinal R. (eds) The Cultures of Collecting. Harvard: Harvard University Press
Baudrillard J. (1994) The System of Collecting. In Elsner J., Cardinal R. (eds) The Cultures of Collecting. Harvard: Harvard University Press
Belk, R.W., M. Wallendorf, J.F. Sherry and M.B. Holbrook (1991): Collecting in a Consumer Culture. In R.W. Belk and W. Wallendorf (eds): Highways and Buyways: Naturalistic Research from the Consumer Odyssey. Association for Consumer Research
Bellotti F., Berta R., de Gloria A., Margarone M. (2002) User Testing a Hypermedia Tour Guide. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 1(2): 33–41
Bilsland C. (2002). Collecting Oneself: The Meaning of Objects in the Home. Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London
Bitgood S., Patterson D., Benefield A. (1988). Exhibit Design and Visitor Behavior: Empirical Relationships. Environment and Behavior, 20(4):474–491
Bitgood, S., D. Patterson, A. Benefield and A. Landers (1986): Understanding your Visitors: Ten Factors influencing Visitor Behavior. In Proceedings of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Minneapolis, MN
Brown, B. and M. Chalmers (2003): Tourism and Mobile Technology. In Proceedings of ECSCW ’03. Helsinki, Finland
Brown, B., I. MacColl, M. Bell, M. Chalmers and C. Greenahalgh (2005): Sharing the Square: Collaborative Leisure in City Streets. In Proceedings of ECSCW ’05. Paris, France
Brown, B. and M. Perry (2002): Of Maps and Guidebooks: Designing Geographical Technologies. In Proceedings of DIS ’02. London, England: ACM Press
Cheverst, K., N. Davies, K. Mitchell and A. Friday (2000a): Experiences of Developing and Deploying a Context-aware Tourist Guide: The GUIDE Project. In Proceedings of the 6th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. Boston, Massachusetts, United States: ACM Press
Cheverst, K., N. Davies, K. Mitchell, A. Friday and C. Efstratiou (2000b): Developing a Context-aware Electronic Tourist Guide: Some Issues and Experiences. In Proceedings of CHI 2000. The Hague, The Netherlands
Christ, E.A. (1965): The “Retired” Stamp Collector: Economic and Other Functions of a Systematised Leisure Activity. In A.M. Rose and W.A. Peterson (eds): Older People and Their Social World: The Subculture of Aging. F.A. Davis Co
Cole H., Stanton D. (2003). Designing Mobile Technologies to Support Co-present Collaboration. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 7(6): 365–371
DeVault, M.L. (2000). Producing Family Time: Practices of Leisure Activity Beyond the Home. Qualitative Sociology, 23(4): 485–503
Dierking, L. et al. (2002): Visitor Learning Zoos and Aquariums: Executive Summary. Annapolis: Institute for Learning Innovation.
Fleck M., Frid M., Kindberg T., O’Brien-Strain E., Rajani R., Spasojevic, M. (2002) From Informing to Remembering: Ubiquitous Systems in Interactive Museums. IEEE Pervasive Computing 1(2): 13–21
Fournier S., Richins M.L. (1991) Some Theoretical and Popular Notions Concerning Materialism. Journal of Social Behaviour and Personality 6: 403–414
Grinter, R.E., P.M. Aoki, M.H. Szymanski, J.D. Thornton, A. Woodruff and A. Hurst (2002): Revisiting the Visit: Understanding How Technology can Shape the Museum Visit. In Proceedings of CSCW ’02. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA: ACM Press
Heath C., vom Lehn, D. (2004) Configuring Reception: (Dis-)Regarding the ‘Spectator’ in Museums and Galleries. Theory, Culture and Society 21(6): 43–65
Kindberg, T., M. Spasojevic, R. Fleck and A. Sellen (2005): I Saw This and Thought of You: Some Social Uses of Camera Phones. CHI ’05 Extended Abstracts. Portland, OR, USA
Lindahl-Elliot, N. (2005): The New Zoos: Science, Media & Culture: Project Report. Bristol and Paignton Zoos.
McIntosh W.D., Schmeichel B. (2004) Collectors and Collecting: A Social Psychological Perspective. Leisure Sciences 26: 85–97
O’Hara, K., M. Lipson, M. Jansen, A. Unger, H. Jeffries and P. Macer (2004): Jukola: Democratic Music Choice in a Public Space. In Proceedings of the DIS ’04. Cambridge, MA, USA
O’Hara, K. and M. Perry (2003): User Centred Opportunities for Supporting Consumer Behaviour through Handheld and Ubiquitous Computing. In Proceedings of the 36th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS’03) – Track 9 – Volume 9. IEEE Computer Society
Pearce, S. (1992): Museums, Objects and Collections: A Cultural Study. Leicester: Leicester University Press
Sellen A.J., Harper R.H.R. (2002) The Myth of the Paperless Office. Cambridge: MIT Press
Tajfel H. (1982) Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Annual Review of Psychology 33: 1–39
Toye, E., A. Madhavapeddy, R. Sharp, D. Scott, A. Blackwell and E. Upton (2004): Using Camera-phones to Interact with Context-aware Mobile Services (No. ISSN 1476-2986). Cambridge: Cambridge University Computer Laboratory
Vom Lehn, D. and C. Heath (2005): Accounting for New Technology in Museum Exhibitions. International Journal of Arts Management, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 11–21
Weilenmann A., Larsson C. (2001). Local Use and Sharing of Mobile Phones. In B. Brown, N. Green, R. Harper (eds) Wireless World: Social and Interactional Aspects of the Mobile Age. Godalming and Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, pp. 99–115
Woodruff, A., M.H. Szymanski, P.M. Aoki and A. Hurst (2001): The Conversational Role of Electronic Guidebooks. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing. Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Springer-Verlag
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
O’Hara, K., Kindberg, T., Glancy, M. et al. Collecting and Sharing Location-based Content on Mobile Phones in a Zoo Visitor Experience. Comput Supported Coop Work 16, 11–44 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-007-9039-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-007-9039-2