The secret life of my dog: design and evaluation of paw tracker concept

  • Authors:

  • Susanna Paasovaara;Mikko Paldanius;Petri Saarinen;Jonna Häkkilä;Kaisa Väänänen-Vainio-Mattila

  • Affiliations:

  • Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland;Nokia Research Center, Yrttipellontie, Oulu, Finland;Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland;Nokia Research Center, Yrttipellontie, Oulu, Finland;Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

What do dogs do while their owners are away? And what do the owners want to know about it? Based on the findings from our earlier research, we created a concept called Paw Tracker for pet dog owners. Paw Tracker utilizes mobile and internet technologies and combines sensor-based dog-created content with a social media approach. The concept was evaluated by potential users in focus groups and in a Wizard-of-Oz based field study. The results of the study revealed the dog owners' detailed interest in tracking their dogs' activities and following their condition in real-time, both in special situations and in everyday life. Dog owners found especially interesting the possibility to discover reasons for barking and misbehavior. Sensor and video feed based information were both considered valuable, and we argue that an ideal design should combine these both. This study and the designed concept strengthen the understanding of the emerging domain of technology mediated human-dog interaction.