Context-aware application design at SAAB Automobile: An interpretational perspective

Journal article, 2007

Context-aware applications promise to be receptive to the environments in which they are used. However, it is still unclear if context-aware applications can capture the complexity of social context. To date, most context-aware applications exclude the human component in producing contextual understanding. To address this problem, this paper outlines an action research study at a car manufacturer that aimed at developing an interpretational perspective for context-aware application design. This perspective provides a useful lens with which to understand the interaction between users and context-aware applications in co-producing contextual understanding. The paper also outlines the practical insights gained throughout this action research.