Influenced by a series of observational studies of museum visitors, we created the ‘Mack Room’ system. We experimented with a number of systems for tracking the position of an on-site visitor, including a wearable computer, Vee’s Jacket, and a handheld device, the Lighthouse Guide. Again, we tracked the position of an online visitor using a corresponding virtual environment. We also introduced another type of online visitor, using a web browser to read the exhibition catalogue. The web visitor’s position was taken from the use of a 2D map of the room, set in the web browser. Each of the visitors could see all three locations, and talk to each other via wireless microphones and headphones.
System trials of the Mack Room system demonstrated how visitors developed an understanding of the technology and of the exhibition, so that they no longer focused on the many different tools at hand but the single ‘task’ of the shared visit. Given a moderate overlap in content material, and a high degree of integration of ubicomp and communication systems, people can have an engaging and informative shared experience. |
