research-article

Unexpected journeys with the HOBBIT: the design and evaluation of an asocial hiking app

Authors:

Johannes Schöning,

Jonna HäkkiläAuthors Info & Claims

DIS '14: Proceedings of the 2014 conference on Designing interactive systems

Pages 637 - 646

https://doi.org/10.1145/2598510.2598592

Published: 21 June 2014 Publication History

Abstract

In the age of mobile communications and social media, users are connected to interact with other people, and often obliged to be socially active as technology drives to connect us. In this paper, we harness the technology for the opposite use: helping people to avoid company instead of encouraging interaction. We have developed the concept of an asocial hiking application (app), in which users can generate routes that avoid meeting other people. We developed the concept based on user feedback data derived from an online survey (n=157) and two focus groups, and created a tool that generates solitary hiking routes based on OpenStreetMap data and additional information from the web. In addition, to make the application react to dynamic changes in the environment, we developed a mobile application prototype that scans Wi-Fi signals to detect other hikers nearby and warn of their approach. The prototype was tested and evaluated with 8 hikers in-the-wild. In addition to the concept design and the functional prototype, we present findings on people's, especially hikers, need for solitude, and introduce user feedback from each stage of the prototype design process as well as design recommendations for an asocial navigation application.

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Cited By

Odom WWhite JBarnett SBrand NLin HYoo MAmram T(2024)Capra: Making Use of Multiple Perspectives for Capturing, Noticing and Revisiting Hiking Experiences Over TimeProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642284(1-27)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642284
Ivanova IWald M(2023)Climbing crags recommender system in Arco, Italy: a comparative studyFrontiers in Big Data10.3389/fdata.2023.12140296Online publication date: 11-Oct-2023
https://doi.org/10.3389/fdata.2023.1214029
Liu PXie C(2023)Designing Between Virtuality and Reality: Improving Inclusiveness in Hybrid SpacesProceedings of the 41st ACM International Conference on Design of Communication10.1145/3615335.3623033(184-190)Online publication date: 26-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3615335.3623033
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Index Terms

Unexpected journeys with the HOBBIT: the design and evaluation of an asocial hiking app
1. Information systems
  1. Information systems applications
    1. Multimedia information systems

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cover image ACM Conferences

DIS '14: Proceedings of the 2014 conference on Designing interactive systems

June 2014

1102 pages

ISBN:9781450329026

DOI:10.1145/2598510

General Chairs:
Ron Wakkary
Simon Fraser University
,
Steve Harrison
Virginia Tech
,
Program Chairs:
Carman Neustaedter
Simon Fraser University
,
Shaowen Bardzell
Indiana University
,
Eric Paulos
UC Berkeley

Copyright © 2014 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 21 June 2014

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DIS '14: Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2014

June 21 - 25, 2014

BC, Vancouver, Canada

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DIS '14 Paper Acceptance Rate 107 of 402 submissions, 27%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 1,158 of 4,684 submissions, 25%

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Cited By

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642284
Ivanova IWald M(2023)Climbing crags recommender system in Arco, Italy: a comparative studyFrontiers in Big Data10.3389/fdata.2023.12140296Online publication date: 11-Oct-2023
https://doi.org/10.3389/fdata.2023.1214029
Liu PXie C(2023)Designing Between Virtuality and Reality: Improving Inclusiveness in Hybrid SpacesProceedings of the 41st ACM International Conference on Design of Communication10.1145/3615335.3623033(184-190)Online publication date: 26-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3615335.3623033
Koutsabasis PNikolarakis APanopoulou EGeorgiadi SMavrogonatos CEngi M(2023)Mobile User Experience to Learn About Geology While Hiking: The Syros GeoPaths appProceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the ACM Greek SIGCHI Chapter10.1145/3609987.3609999(1-8)Online publication date: 27-Sep-2023
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Wu YXia TJatowt AZhang HFeng XShibasaki RKim K(2021)Context-aware heatstroke relief station placement and route optimization for large outdoor eventsInternational Journal of Health Geographics10.1186/s12942-021-00275-z20:1Online publication date: 25-May-2021
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