There's Not an App for That

Simon Robinson is a researcher in the Future Interaction Technology Lab at Swansea University. His work so far has focused on mobile technologies that allow people to immerse themselves in the places, people and events around them, rather than just in their mobile devices. His research - much of which has been part of the thinking behind this book - has been featured in New Scientist magazine, on CBC Radio, and in other international media venues; and, has also been published in many international academic conferences and journals. In the past few years his emphasis has turned toward developing similarly face-on user experiences for resource-constrained communities in regions such as South Africa and India. Simon is an avid rock climber, and loves the fact that climbing doesn’t need a touchscreen to be thoroughly enjoyable.More at simon.robinson.ac Gary Marsden was a professor of computer science at the University of Cape Town, pioneer and passionate advocate of HCI for development, and community builder. He became internationally known for his work in mobile interface design, design, and ICT for development (ICT4D) – for which he was a recipient of the ACM SIGCHI’s Social Impact Award in 2007. He went to great lengths to show how mobile technologies were revolutionizing how developing countries were advancing apace. In doing so, he raised the profile of what developing world actually meant. Gary died suddenly of a heart attack on December 27, 2013, and is survived by his wife Gil and his two children, Holly and Jake. Matt Jones is a professor and Head of Department of Computer Science, Swansea University. His research work focuses on human-centered computing with particular emphasis on mobile and ubiquitous computing and resource-constrained communities in regions such as India and South Africa. His work in these contexts has been recognized by an IBM Faculty Award and, from 2014, by a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. Matt has had many active collaborations and interactions with industry, NGO and Governmental stakeholders including Microsoft Research, Nokia Research and IBM Research. In his spare time he tries to live life face-on with his energetic family, and enjoys nothing more than an exhilarating early morning cycle ride to the glorious beaches of the Gower.

• 1. Introduction2. From Touch To Feeling3. Inspired By Food4. Inspired By Fashion5. Inspired By Fitness6. Inspired By Materials7. From Heads Down To Face On8. In Your Face Technology9. In The World Approaches10. From Clinical To Clutter11. Inspired By Mass12. Inspired By Uncertainty13. From Private And Personal To Public And Performance14. Mobiles As Props15. Extravagant Computing16. From Distanced To Mindful Interaction17. Designing Mindful Communication Apps18. Mindfulness Without Apps19. From Some To All20. Bringing Things Together

"...a book for practitioners, researchers, and students who want a glimpse at possible futures for mobile app design, or who agree with the authors’ assertion that 'headsdown thinking' is not the optimal approach for mobile user experience." --Technical Communication"...focuses on mobile users and tries to determine a good user experience design…The interface should provide a user experience that is more people-oriented rather than technology-oriented...an interesting book and the concept is explained clearly." --Computing Reviews"The authors give great examples of inspiration from food, fashion, fitness, and even from mess and uncertainty. They discuss how a design can enhance mindfulness…" --User Experience