Evaluating the user experience of acoustic data transmission
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Evaluating the user experience of acoustic data transmission A study of sharing data between mobile devices using sound Adib Mehrabi1,2 · Antonella Mazzoni1 · Daniel Jones1 · Anthony Steed3 Received: 18 February 2019 / Accepted: 26 September 2019 © The Author(s) 2019
Abstract Users of smart devices frequently need to exchange data with people nearby to them. Yet despite the availability of various communication methods, data exchange between co-located devices is often complicated by technical and user experience barriers. A potential solution to these issues is the emerging technology of device-to-device acoustic data transmission. In this work, we investigate the medium-specific properties of sound as a data exchange mechanism, and question how these contribute to the user experience of sharing data. We present a user study comparing three wireless communication technologies (acoustic data transmission, QR codes and Bluetooth), when used for a common and familiar scenario: peerto-peer sharing of contact information. Overall, the results show that acoustic data transmission provides a rapid means of transferring data (mean transaction time of 2.4 s), in contrast to Bluetooth (8.3 s) and QR (6.3 s), whilst requiring minimal physical effort and user coordination. All QR code transactions were successful on the first attempt; however, some acoustic (5.6%) and Bluetooth (16.7%) transactions required multiple attempts to successfully share a contact. Participants also provided feedback on their user experience via surveys and semi-structured interviews. Perceived transaction time, physical effort, and connectivity issues. Specifically, users expressed frustration with Bluetooth due to device selection issues, and with QR for the physical coordination required to scan codes. The findings indicate that acoustic data transmission has unique advantages in facilitating information sharing and interaction between co-located users. Keywords Acoustic data transmission · Mobile · User experience · Wireless data transfer · Audio · Peer-to-peer connectivity
1 Introduction The ubiquity of personal smart devices has led to a scenario in which we create and capture increasing amounts of content, generating a proportional demand to share that content with Adib Mehrabi
[email protected]; [email protected] Antonella Mazzoni [email protected] Daniel Jones [email protected] Anthony Steed [email protected] 1
Chirp, 145 City Road, London, EC1V 1LP, UK
2
Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
3
University College London, London, UK
those around us. This near-field data exchange is typically facilitated by wireless connectivity, which allows a user to create an ad hoc connection with co-located peers, through which data can be shared with an individual or group. However, despite the variety and sophistication of connectivity options, a short-range exchange of information can still be a frustrating experience. Central to this problem is that peerto-peer transactions are poorly supported by current smart devices. D
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