Exploring mobile technologies for the urban homeless

My research examines the practical and social impact of technology on the urban homeless. To accomplish this, I have conducted interviews with the homeless to understand how technology—from mobile phones to bus passes—affects their lives. I have also conducted ethnographic fieldwork at care providers to understand how technology figures into the provision of care for the homeless. These formative studies have motivated the design of a set of information sharing services that aggregate information available in the community and provide it to the homeless via mobile phones. I will deploy this system to diverse set of homeless individuals to better understand how such technologies fit within the social and economic constraints of the homeless community. I expect my research to result in theoretical contributions and guidelines for designing for uncommon users, like the homeless. ACM Classification Keywords K.4.2 Social Issues General Terms Design, Human Factors Author Keywords Social...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Christopher A. Le Dantec
• Keywords: CHI 2010, Homeless, Homeless Individuals, Human Computer Interaction, Mobile Phones