The Virtual Observer is an unobtrusive, logging-based observation framework for mobile applications, which I designed and developed during my PhD. It basically consists of the Virtual Observer observation library for Android, and the Context Player, a data playback tool. I’ve used these tools to study several observation techniques and to investigate how valuable insights can be extracted from the recorded logging data. The plan is to make everything available as open source, soon. In the meantime, drop me a line if you are interested in trying the framework.
Related Publications
- Poppinga, Benjamin; Pielot, Martin; Heuten, Wilko; Boll, Susanne – Unobtrusive Observation of Cycling Tourists in the Wild. International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction (IJMHCI). 6(4), pp. 22–41.
- Poppinga, Benjamin; Heuten, Wilko; Boll, Susanne – Sensor-based Identification of Opportune Moments to Trigger Unobtrusive Notifications. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 13(1), pp. 22–29. IEEE Xplore, PDF
- Poppinga, Benjamin; Oehmcke, Stefan; Heuten, Wilko; Boll, Susanne – Storyteller: In-Situ Reflection on Study Experiences. Demo at MobileHCI 2013, Munich, Germany. PDF
- Poppinga, Benjamin; Pielot, Martin; Heuten, Wilko; Boll, Susanne – Towards an Objective Comparison of Scanning-Based Interaction Techniques. Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design (HAID), 2012, Lund, Sweden. PDF