Developing and Experiencing Mobile Video Communication

The paper concerns collaborative research with the twofold task of developing video streaming technology for mobile devices and exploring user experiences in mobile multimedia. The main objective of the technology study was to develop mechanisms that enable the use of multimedia services in wireless terminals. This covered the development of both a software and a technology enabling efficient transfer of digital content over a wireless channel, resulting in the construction of the demonstrator. The primary goal of the user study was to explore how mobile phone users make use of a novel mobile video technology and how they feel about interacting through it in different communication situations. The demonstrator was used as a communication device in the role-play situations of the user study, which allowed the participants to have personal user experiences and to illustrate the potential of the mobile video technology in their own lives.