Designing People’s Interconnections in Mobile Social Networks Giuseppe Lugano, Jorma Kyppö, Pertti Saariluoma Social ICT - Human Dimensions Research Group University of Jyväskylä I International Conference on Multidisciplinary Information Sciences & Technologies (InScit2006) Merida (Spain), 25-27.10.2006

Presentation Overview Introduction MoSoSo from MoSoSo to MoSoSe How to design Mobile Social Services? MoSoSe design in three steps Capture user and group needs Measure and match social connections Implement Personal Social Space Conclusions and future directions

Introduction

MoSoSo

from MoSoSo to MoSoSe

How to design Mobile Social Services?

MoSoSe design in three steps

Capture user and group needs

Measure and match social connections

Implement Personal Social Space

Conclusions and future directions

Introduction: MoSoSo Despite of technological advances, there is still no “killer-app” for 3G Success of so-called Web2.0 shows a possible direction of development for 3G services Web2.0 is about sharing and collaboration between individuals and their social network Some example of “Web2.0”: sharing photos: Flickr videos: YouTube bookmarks: del.icio.us business contacts: Linkedin Similar applications for the mobile environment are known as “Mobile Social Software” (MoSoSo)

Despite of technological advances, there is still no “killer-app” for 3G

Success of so-called Web2.0 shows a possible direction of development for 3G services

Web2.0 is about sharing and collaboration between individuals and their social network

Some example of “Web2.0”: sharing

photos: Flickr

videos: YouTube

bookmarks: del.icio.us

business contacts: Linkedin

Similar applications for the mobile environment are known as “Mobile Social Software” (MoSoSo)

Introduction: from MoSoSo to MosoSe Why ”Mobile Social Service” (MoSoSe) and not ”Mobile Social Software” (MoSoSo)? in our view, service emphasizes the human perspective more than software MoSoSe definition ” tools that support interaction among networked mobile users ” adaptation of Shirky’s definition of Social Software for the mobile environment

Why ”Mobile Social Service” (MoSoSe) and not ”Mobile Social Software” (MoSoSo)?

in our view, service emphasizes the human perspective more than software

MoSoSe definition

” tools that support interaction among networked mobile users ”

adaptation of Shirky’s definition of Social Software for the mobile environment

How to design Mobile Social Services? MoSoSe basic ingredients people the human social network connections shared/common attributes (homophily) contexts for interaction location, task... MoSoSe requirements ” user/group profiling”: user and group needs ” user matching”: generate social network ” presentation”: show opportunities for social interaction in relevant context

MoSoSe basic ingredients

people

the human social network

connections

shared/common attributes (homophily)

contexts for interaction

location, task...

MoSoSe requirements

” user/group profiling”: user and group needs

” user matching”: generate social network

” presentation”: show opportunities for social interaction in relevant context

MoSoSe design in three steps Capturing user and group needs User psychological approach : definition of user profile by assessing action goals and motivation in mobile usage. User profile includes preferences for disclosure of personal information and control on information flow Measure and match social connections Social network analysis (SNA) : collection of mobile usage data, definition of similarity metrics, user clustering Show opportunities for social interaction implementation of the personal social space : using results of previous two steps, mobile phone features are augmented and personalized with social networking

Capturing user and group needs

User psychological approach : definition of user profile by assessing action goals and motivation in mobile usage.

User profile includes preferences for disclosure of personal information and control on information flow

Measure and match social connections

Social network analysis (SNA) : collection of mobile usage data, definition of similarity metrics, user clustering

Show opportunities for social interaction

implementation of the personal social space : using results of previous two steps, mobile phone features are augmented and personalized with social networking

Step 1: Human and group needs User psychological analysis of human needs In mobile services, communication need is central Understand need for “social networking” What? (goal) i.e. Improved group coordination With whom? (social context) i.e. With my friends When? i.e. During my free time How? i.e. Any communication mode that is available Design challenge: defining, modeling and recognizing context

User psychological analysis of human needs

In mobile services, communication need is central

Understand need for “social networking”

What? (goal)

i.e. Improved group coordination

With whom? (social context)

i.e. With my friends

When?

i.e. During my free time

How?

i.e. Any communication mode that is available

Design challenge: defining, modeling and recognizing context

Step 1: Human and group needs Knowledge about user needs turns into a “user profile” User profile consists of Static data (demographics), which is the user “digital identity” Dynamic data (manually set or automatically sensed) (Explicit) - User preferences (Explicit) - Group memberships (Implicit) - Patterns of mobile phone usage (Implicit) - Communication history

Knowledge about user needs turns into a “user profile”

User profile consists of

Static data (demographics), which is the user “digital identity”

Dynamic data (manually set or automatically sensed)

(Explicit) - User preferences

(Explicit) - Group memberships

(Implicit) - Patterns of mobile phone usage

(Implicit) - Communication history

Step 1: Human and group needs Group identity and needs Dynamic concepts linked to members’ expressed needs and actions May disappear when there are no more members Should be self-organizing, reflecting the behavior of group members “ tagging” could be used to manage group membership and participation Example Group of friends playing football They agree to use the “football” tag to characterize the group Instead of sending a message (textual or multimedia) to a user, they simply add the tag to the message. In this way, it becomes a shared item with the rest of the group in their social space All items tagged with “football” are the digital memory of the group and can be used also to create a reputation system According to the policy of the group, shared items might have rights (read, write, access, expiration flag…) associated to them Tag, message history, reputation system and group policy together express the group identity and needs

Group identity and needs

Dynamic concepts linked to members’ expressed needs and actions

May disappear when there are no more members

Should be self-organizing, reflecting the behavior of group members

“ tagging” could be used to manage group membership and participation

Example

Group of friends playing football

They agree to use the “football” tag to characterize the group

Instead of sending a message (textual or multimedia) to a user, they simply add the tag to the message. In this way, it becomes a shared item with the rest of the group in their social space

All items tagged with “football” are the digital memory of the group and can be used also to create a reputation system

According to the policy of the group, shared items might have rights (read, write, access, expiration flag…) associated to them

Tag, message history, reputation system and group policy together express the group identity and needs

Step 2: Measure and match social connections Generating the Social network Initialization adaptation of Moreno’s sociometric test to the mobile environment Data collection Storage and continuous update of user profile Similarity metrics Measure users’ homophily according to a chosen attribute Distance in terms of social characteristics is translated into network distance User clustering Hierarchical or based on “ edge betweenness ”

Generating the Social network

Initialization

adaptation of Moreno’s sociometric test to the mobile environment

Data collection

Storage and continuous update of user profile

Similarity metrics

Measure users’ homophily according to a chosen attribute

Distance in terms of social characteristics is translated into network distance

User clustering

Hierarchical or based on “ edge betweenness ”

Step 3: Personal Social Space Individual level (Me) Social networking for improved user-machine interaction i.e. time management Social-network (My contacts) Address-book contacts clustered according to specific criteria i.e. group communication Personal involvement in social network (My groups) Individual activity which can be related to a certain group i.e. reputation in a group Shared space Area of overlapping interests, expressed by the “group” concept, between the user and his social network

Individual level (Me)

Social networking for improved user-machine interaction

i.e. time management

Social-network (My contacts)

Address-book contacts clustered according to specific criteria

i.e. group communication

Personal involvement in social network (My groups)

Individual activity which can be related to a certain group

i.e. reputation in a group

Shared space

Area of overlapping interests, expressed by the “group” concept, between the user and his social network

Conclusions and future directions In this paper, we introduced the concept of Mobile Social Service and the challenges connected to its design process Our design approach combined a user psychological approach and social network analysis methods A three-step model has been presented, including Analysis of user and group needs Generation process of the social network Integration of social networking in mobile through the implementation of a “Personal Social Space” Several areas still need further investigations Simplifying assumptions made for the mathematical analysis of the social network through homophily algorithms Group properties and dynamics emerging through “tagging” Privacy management connected to sharing of personal data Context modeling and recognition

In this paper, we introduced the concept of Mobile Social Service and the challenges connected to its design process

Our design approach combined a user psychological approach and social network analysis methods

A three-step model has been presented, including

Analysis of user and group needs

Generation process of the social network

Integration of social networking in mobile through the implementation of a “Personal Social Space”

Several areas still need further investigations

Simplifying assumptions made for the mathematical analysis of the social network through homophily algorithms

Group properties and dynamics emerging through “tagging”

Privacy management connected to sharing of personal data

Context modeling and recognition