On the move with a magic thing: role playing in concept design of mobile services and devices
DIS '00 Proceedings of the 3rd conference on Designing interactive systems: processes, practices, methods, and techniques
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing
Children and emerging wireless technologies: investigating the potential for spatial practice
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
When participants do the capturing: the role of media in diary studies
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Fear and danger in nocturnal urban environments
Proceedings of the 22nd Conference of the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group of Australia on Computer-Human Interaction
Welcome to the jungle: HCI after dark
CHI '11 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Examining technology that supports community policing
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Examining and designing community crime prevention technology
CHI '12 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Deriving requirements for an online community interaction scheme: indications from older adults
CHI '12 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Safe mathare: a mobile system for women's safe commutes in the slums
MobileHCI '12 Proceedings of the 14th international conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services companion
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
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This paper describes investigation of a mobile communication system that helps alleviate fear experienced in the urban context. In order to obtain empirically grounded insights for the concept design, urban females in their twenties and thirties and living in Bangalore, New Delhi and San Francisco, were studied. More than 200 females filled in an online survey. Extensive qualitative data for 13 participants were collected through week long diaries, semi-structured interviews, and situated participative enactment of scenarios. Fear-related concerns were voiced both in India and the U.S., suggesting that reducing fear, particularly in a pedestrian context after the onset of darkness, could be a globally applicable need. User research findings into subjective experiences of fear, contexts in which they occur, and behavioral strategies were used to design a mobile service titled ComfortZones. This concept was developed to the level of a high fidelity prototype and tested in a field trial in India. The investigation highlights further opportunities for design, particularly the notion of emphasizing positive and socially successful qualities of cities to communities concerned with their safety and security.