This project was about mobile context-aware cross-cultural applications (MOCCA). Mobile phones today are getting intelligent and aware of the usage context with powerful built-in sensors and computing accessories. However, the influence of context-aware and intelligent mobile devices as a daily device on human being remain unclear. The population using mobile phones is huge and increasing globally, which means that the mobile phone is making a difference to the quality of the daily life of human beings. Insights into the relationship between the context awareness of mobile devices and the user experiences of human beings are valuable for developing user friendly and commercialized mobile services. This project aimed to systematically pioneer studies of cross-cultural mobile user experience issues and to provide theoretical and practical guidelines for designing cultural adaptability into the context-awareness of smart phones. The objectives and related conclusion of this action were to:
1) Identifying the user experience problems that exists in mobile context-awareness system and uncover the key factors producing the problems. This objective was achieved by the development of a conceptual model about users’ concerns over mobile context-aware services, consisting of sensitivity, activity and personal value.
2) Examining the influence of context-awareness factors and culture difference on mobile context-aware cross-cultural applications. This objective was achieved by developing a framework for understanding psychological reactance to context-aware smart phone usage in Europe and China, that helps understand and model how people react to their sense of agency being threatened by context-aware notifications and alerts.
3) Applying the findings to improving the design of mobile context-awareness system and providing specific user experience for Danish and Chinese smart phone users. This objective was achieved by the development of a mobile context-aware reminder app, which was evaluated cross-culturally in studies in-the-wild, The conclusion was that dispositional traits such a tendency to accept multi-tasking, self-awareness, and reliance on technology mediate between context-aware services and human user behaviour, and that this vary systematically between China and Europe. The project lead to initial design guidelines with principles and design examples for cross-cultural context-aware applications, including designing for 'situational culture', 'cultural frame switching', diversity and development.
The project included advanced training of experienced researchers in methodologies of human-computer Interaction and user experience research, and scientific publications and presentations in those same fields. Furthermore, the project transferred know-how of user experience and design research and practice in Chinese companies and universities to European Universities.
