This document discusses using near field communication (NFC) tags to provide serendipitous services. It defines serendipity as unexpected but desirable discoveries. The author proposes implementing serendipity services using NFC tags by recommending additional content based on tag context, user intentions, and touch history. A prototype matches rules to tag data and user profiles to generate serendipitous recommendations. The author argues serendipity services could motivate repeated tag touches and generate advertising revenue. NFC is better for serendipity than QR codes due to its ease of repeated touching. Serendipity may become a key design factor for successful NFC services.

1. WIMA NFC 2012 @ Monaco
Serendipity Paradigm in NFC-Based
Service
Prof. Kyoung Jun Lee
School of Management, Kyung Hee University
klee@khu.ac.kr
Director of BMER.net (bmer.net)
Founder & CEO of

2. Serendipity: “Unexpected but desirable”
• An unexpected discovery of something worthwhile during a
search for an expected something worthwhile(Marcus Bach,
The World of Serendipity, 1980).
• Unexpected results, unexpected impacts, unexpected changes
of directions (Seeking Serendipity: The Paradox of Control,
McBirnie, 2008)
• The property of making fortunate discoveries while
looking for something unrelated, or the occurrence of
such a discovery during such a search.

3. Past Researches on Serendipity in IT
• N. Eagle, “Can Serendipity Be Planned?” MIT Sloan Management Review.
vol. 46, no. 1, Fall 2004, pp 10–14.
• Nathan Eagle, and Alex Pentland, "Social Serendipity: Mobilizing Social
Software," IEEE Pervasive Computing, vol. 4(2005), no. 2, 28-34
• Victoria Bellotti, Bo Begole, Ed H. Chi, Nicolas Ducheneaut, Ji Fang, Ellen
Isaacs, Tracy King, Mark W. Newman, Kurt Partridge, Bob Price, Paul
Rasmussen, Michael Roberts, Diane J. Schiano, Alan Walendowski,
“Activity-Based Serendipitous Recommendations with the Magitti Mobile
Leisure Guide”, CHI 2008 Proceedings, Florence, Italy, 2008
• Shigekazu Sawaizumi, Osamu Katai, Hiroshi Kawakami and Takayuki
Shiose, “Use of Serendipity Power for Discoveries and Inventions,” Studies
in Computational Intelligence, 2009, Vol 187, 2009, 163-169
• Abigail McBirni., “Seeking serendipity: the paradox of control,” Aslib
Proceedings: New Information Perspectives, Vol. 60(2008), 600~618.

4. Serendipity Services already on the Web
• Content Match Advertising: AdSense of Google
• SNS is also a serendipity service
– When we use facebook.com, we often luckily find out
an unexpected but useful information.
– Search cannot arouse the human needs. It assumes
the existing needs of human.
– SNS can arouse new human needs.
• Both are a kind of serendipity services already on
the web

5. Content Match Advertising: Example 1
Content on obesity
Ad on Running Machine

6. Content Match Advertising: Example 2
Content on Woman Cancer
Ad on Women Clinic
Ad on Anticancer
기사 우측과 하단에
Chemotherapy
컨텐트 매치 광고 게재

7. Tag Match Advertising(Lee et al. 2007)
The AdSense in Ubiquitous Era !
Tag-Match Advertising exposes proper
ads to users through ‘Tag Match’, a new
process based on the information on
users and the information and contents
about tags
Lap Top A1-4524
1. Basic Information
2. After Service Request
3. Price Comparison
Related Products
1. Best Lap Top Briefcases 30
for Young Men”
2. Accessories
3. Similar Lap Tops

8. NFC Service Mindset or Paradigms
• Mission critical processes
– Payment by card emulation
• Fulfillment of user-expected services
• Lightweight serendipity service

9. Implementation of Serendipity Service
• Serendipity service may be implemented by
– Recommendation methodology using tag's
detailed location, tag touching time/frequency,
and the salient/designated feature of the tag
• Knowledge-based recommendation: our prototype
• Collaborative filtering: by mining users’ touch log
• Tag's detail location
– semantic location such as table, entrance, & board
etc.
– geographical location

10. Tag-App-Cloud Collaboration
• A physical tag connected with a semi-open mobile app and semi-
open tag management cloud can provide a series of virtual utility
services like:
– WiFi(SSID & passwd) Setting using the information in the cloud
– SNS-based 'like' and comments
– Attendance checking
– Couponing
– Social dating (e.g. girls near you)
– Tag match advertising
– CRM Services
• NFC services will be flourished by (semi-)open platform service
provider
• The NFC services will be complemented by Serendipity service

11. The Utility Tag Services & Serendipity
• The utility services will be synthesized by service
composition engine and accompanied by
serendipity engine.
• The satisfactory serendipity services will motivate
user's tag touching.
• The serendipity services will be new
window/media of online contents/commerce
providers
• NFC services will consist of offline utility services
and offline/online serendipity services.

12. Serendipity Services:
Outputs = f(inputs)
• Input 1: Tag's detail context
– Semantic & geographic location
• Input 2: User's understanding & intention
– salient/designated feature of the tag
• Input 3: Tag touching time/frequency,
• Output 1: Services fulfilling user's intention
• Output 2: Serendipity services by the
inference based on the context

13. Prototype Implementation
• Building serendipity rule base
– Currently we have 9 Rule Types
• Location -> Next Location
• Profile -> Person nearby
• Location -> Information near by (e.g. happy hour, flash sales)
• Location -> Information for the location
• Tagged Product -> Matched Product considering other users
• Tagged Product -> Additional information on the product itself
• Location(Space Tag)-> Product Recommendations within the space
• Location -> Transportation Information nearby
• Service Location -> Shopping information outside the space
– 40 Rules
• Serendipity case base construction by mining user's usage
data

14. Serendipity Engine
•사용자 행동 데이터DB
• •사용자 행동 데이터DB
Web Data 소셜그래프
•사용자간
• •사용자간 소셜그래프 데이터
Commerce Service
•웹에 등록, 게재되는
Serendipity • •웹에 등록, 게재되는 데이터
Service & Content DB
•사업자들의 상거래 Service User
Engine • •사업자들의 상거래
Tag Touch Log DB
•서비스
Serendipity Case Base
• •서비스
•콘탠트DB
• •콘탠트DB Rule Base
Serendipity
Response
• User Profile & Social Graph
Feedback

15. Revenue Generation through Serendipity Service
• Search useful information on behalf
User Expected of users and inform when it is relevant
(Intended) Service
+
Additional content
reflecting user’s
interest, usefulness, Advertising &
and freshness Commerce
NFC
Tag

16. Examples of Serendipity Rules
Data Type for Input Data Type for Recommendation
Current Location Time Next Location
Cafe Morning Restaurant
Restaurant Lunch Time Café for Dissert
Restaurant Dinner Time Pub or Karaoke
Pub Late Night Driving Service
Singing Room Late Night Driving Service

17. QR for Serendipity?
• NFC is largely different from QR codes with
respect to serendipity service.
• Serendipity service is impossible by QR-based
initiation because of its inconvenience in using
the tag
• For the frequent tagging, simple touch should be
guaranteed.
• Therefore serendipity service will be the unique
feature of NFC tags over that of QR codes

18. Serendipity Service Strategy
• When a user touches a tag three times within
an hour, how will you provide the services?
1. The same expected services only all the three
times
2. Sequentially improved services reflecting the
touching sequence
3. The same expected services with different
serendipity services

19. Paradigm Change?
Clearly defined vs. Secretly Serendipitous
• Can a pure serendipity tag be successful?
– The answer may be yes with NFC!
– No with QR
• These all come from the convenience of the
simple touching
• Serendipity as a design factor for NFC services
– Tags without serendipity might not make users touch
them anymore.
• Love may also come from (precisely designed but
not informed) serendipity!

20. What is the next after Web and App?
Tag
Touch
Serendipity

21. For More Information:
• Visit LoveisTouch.com
• Visit BMER.net
• Kyoung Jun Lee, Ph.D.
• Facebook.com/leekj007
• leekj007@gmail.com
• +82-10-3775-1952