Publication – Location as Interaction: Exploring Blended Spaces in the Global Village

Edinburgh Napier University, UK and Rochester Institute of Technology, USA have been collaborating in the digital tourism domain. We have been leveraging Blended Theory and mobile interactions to develop novel services for prospective RIT freshmen visiting the RIT campus. Our paper has been acepted to Human-Computer Interaction, Tourism and Cultural Heritage (HCITOCH 2012)  conference in Venice, Italy.

Stephen Mokey¹, Alex Nalbandian¹, Brian O’Keefe¹, David Benyon², Oli Mival², Serkan Ayan^{2
1 Rochester Institute of Technology – 2 Edinburgh Napier University}

Abstract. We present a novel means of experiencing an unfamiliar tourist destination using location-based interaction design with mobile devices. Tracking a visitor’s location allows us to automatically present the visitor with relevant information as soon as they arrive at a point-of-interest. By synchronizing the delivery of digital content with the visitor’s physical location, the visitor is able to move through and explore the physical and digital spaces simultaneously, using a location-based interface to experience a blended space. We theorize that this location-based content delivery method will instill a sense of freedom and immersion as the visitor explores the blended space in a natural and serendipitous way. To test our theory and validate our design strategy, we have developed a prototype application called Global Village Explorations.