Collaboration surrounding beacon use during companion avalanche rescue

Authors:
Audrey Desjardins;Carman Neustaedter;Saul Greenberg;Ron Wakkary
Affiliations:
Simon Fraser University, Surrey, Canada;Simon Fraser University, Surrey, Canada;University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada;Simon Fraser University, Surrey, Canada
Venue:
Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing
Year:
2014

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Abstract

When facing an avalanche, backcountry skiers need to work effectively both individually and as a group to rescue buried victims. If they don't, death is likely. One of the tools used by each person is a digital beacon that transmits an electromagnetic signal. If buried, others use their beacons to locate victims by searching for their signals, and then dig them out. This study focuses on the collaborative practices of avalanche rescue and the interactions with beacons while backcountry skiing. We conducted interviews with backcountry recreationists and experts, and we observed avalanche rescue practice scenarios. Our results highlight aspects and challenges of mental representation, trust, distributed cognition, and practice. Implications include three considerations for the redesign of beacons: simplicity, visibility and practice.