Because I carry my cell phone anyway: functional location-based reminder applications

  • Authors:
  • Pamela J. Ludford;Dan Frankowski;Ken Reily;Kurt Wilms;Loren Terveen

  • Affiliations:
  • University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN;University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
  • Year:
  • 2006

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Abstract

Although they have potential, to date location-based information systems have not radically improved the way we interact with our surroundings. To study related issues, we developed a location-based reminder system, PlaceMail, and demonstrate its utility in supporting everyday tasks through a month-long field study. We identify current tools and practices people use to manage distributed tasks and note problems with current methods, including the common "to-do list". Our field study shows that PlaceMail supports useful location-based reminders and functional place-based lists. The study also sheds rich and surprising light on a new issue: when and where to deliver location-based information. The traditional 'geofence' radius around a place proves insufficient. Instead, effective delivery depends on people's movement patterns through an area and the geographic layout of the space. Our results both provide a compelling demonstration of the utility of location-based information and raise significant new challenges for location-based information distribution.