Lessons Learned...

From a human factors perspective...

• We discovered an interesting trade-off, i.e. the need to produce a system that uses context to simplify the visitor’s understanding of, and interaction with, an inherently complex system versus the need not to overly constrain the functionality or information presented by the system, based on the current context. This is, of course, an interesting instance of the fundamental tradeoff between prescription and freedom.
• Interaction with a context-aware/location-aware system is not affected by the design of the user interface alone. In fact, interaction with GUIDE is, to a large extent, governed by the design of the infrastructure, i.e. the strategic placement of cells in order to provide appropriate areas of location resolution and network connectivity.
• Our experience with evaluating the presentation of context-aware information has taught us that designers need to be careful when deciding how to constrain or pre-empt the information requirements of users based on current context. For example, when we restricted the information available to visitors, such that they could only access information on the attractions at their current location, some visitors became frustrated because they could not query the system about things that they could see in the distance.
• It is important to consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of borrowing or modifying familiar metaphors for use in different scenarios. For example, the modified browser metaphor used by GUIDE caused some confusion because of the semantic overlap between the standard back and forward buttons and the buttons for requesting to view the next or previous navigation instruction.
• In the leisure industry there appears to be a growing acceptance of the use of technology. Indeed, the uptake of personal technology by members of the public, such as mobile phones, digital cameras and personal organizers, suggests that more and more members of the public are prepared to make use of technology if it provides tangible benefits.

From the evaluation....

• The vast majority (59/60) of visitors stated that they enjoyed using GUIDE to explore the city

• The majority of visitors appreciated the flexibility provided by the system, i.e. the ability to use the system as a tour guide, a map or a guidebook. However, some visitors thought that the system had too many choices available and expressed a desire for a ‘less is more’ system that could be easier to use.

• All visitors expressed the opinion that the location-aware navigation and information retrieval mechanisms provided by the system were both useful and reassuring. 

• All visitors said that the ability to receive dynamic information, such as the ‘specials’ menu of a café or notification of a delay in public transport, was a worthwhile feature.
• Visitors expressed some concern that they might have missed information on a particular topic.
• The vast majority of visitors said that they were prepared to trust the information presented by the system, including the navigation instructions. However, a number of visitors suggested that their level of trust was not constant but varied with the apparent accuracy of the information presented.
• All visitors in the 10 to 20 age profile seemed to revel in the technology and visited approximately twice as many links (per minute of usage) as those from other age profiles, suggesting that they were more eager to explore the information available.

From an engineering and information modelling perspective...

• We found that the cell-based granularity of positioning information provided by the communications infrastructure was sufficient for the requirements of the system.
• It was necessary to design our own information model combining the event-based aspects of context-aware models with the geographic functions commonly associated with geographic information systems (GIS). 
• The population of the information model with appropriate content was a time consuming task.
• Visitor’s are prepared to offer assistance in order to overcome the lack of location information available when in a communications cell. 

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