The Chawton House Project: Co-Designing Situated UbiComp

Abstract

The rise of ubiquitous computing (UbiComp), where pervasive, wireless and disappearing technologies offer hitherto unavailable means of supporting activity, opens up new issues and challenges for co-design. These include the novelty and complexity of UbiComp, the need to consider not just computing but also its environment, and how to promote appropriate user understandings of the technology during the design process. Here we reflect on a case study in designing UbiComp. We discuss a range of co-design activities carried out with the curators of a historic English house, as well as a nearby primary school, to create an educational fieldtrip for children.