User experiences of mobile audio conferencing with spatial audio, haptics and gestures

Devices such as mobile phones have made it possible to take part in remote audio conferences regardless of one's physical location. Mobile phones also allow for new ways to interact with other conference participants. We present a study on evaluating the user experiences of a mobile audio conferencing system that was augmented with spatial audio, haptics, and gestures. In a user study groups of participants compared the augmented audio conference based on a mobile phone and headset to a traditional audio conference. The participants' task was to use the two alternative systems in given discussion tasks. The results of the subjective questionnaires showed that the augmented audio conference was perceived as more stimulating (e.g. creative), while the traditional audio conference was perceived as more practical (e.g. straightforward). The results of the group interviews indicated that spatial audio was the most desired feature, and that it had a positive effect on participants' perception of the conversation. Based on our findings, guidelines for the future development of similar systems are presented.