TABLE OF CONTENTS A few years ago I was on a train travelling back to Glasgow from Edinburgh. Not long after we started the journey, the girl I was standing next to began to talk to me. I was a bit surprised as I didn't know the girl and instead of asking me something like how long does this train take to get to Glasgow? she asked me how I was and what my day had been like. Although surprised, I told her I was ok; had a good day at work and that I was looking forward to watching the Scotland soccer match on TV later that evening.
As I spoke, I saw the girl starting to glare at me and as she turned away from me I heard her say ok, I'll call you later . It was at this point that I realised that the girl had been talking into her hands-free mobile phone microphone and not to me. The rest of the journey continued in silence.
This example, in its own way, highlights what this book is about. Mobile communications such as mobile phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are influencing how we go about our daily lives from both a social and economic perspective. This book is about mobile devices and the factors you should be aware of, if you are interested in carrying out research in the area known as mobile human-computer interaction.
This chapter aims to introduce you to the discipline of human-computer interaction (HCI).
