Your  Ecosystem  is  not  Your  Ecosystem    

Esko  Kurvinen  

Head  of  User  Experience  Research,  D.A.  

Elisa  Oyj  /  Consumer  Business  

Flexible  Services  /  LUCRE    (Local  and  User-­‐Created  Services)  

•  ObjecDves  –  Service  creaDon  plaForm  and  widget  environment  that  anybody  can  

use  to  create  context-­‐aware  services  –  Technologies  for  informaDon  exchange  between  services  and  service  

components  (e.g.  loose  coupling)    –  User  research  on  the  feasibility  of  these  concepts  

*D1.2.1  Flexible  Services  Ecosystem  architecture    

*hRp://www.ist-­‐mobilife.org/images/stories/mobilife_deliverables/d50b%20(d7.7b)%20-­‐%20mobilife%20conference%20proceedings%20-­‐%20submiRed.pdf  

IST  MobiLife,  2004-­‐2006  

Conceptual  Underpinnings  

•  Standardize  informaDon  structures    

•  Standardize  transacDons  (APIs)  between  enDDes  •  Full  interoperability,  seamless  migraDon  of  content,  user  

idenDDes  and  context-­‐informaDon  

•  Once  everybody  can  parDcipate  in  service  development,  innovaDon  will  flourish  

•  Everybody  will  play  fair    •  Eventually,  the  customers  (the  market)  will  decide  who  

succeeds/not   See  also:    diso-­‐project.org  

microformats.org  www.dataportability.org  

openid.net  oauth.net  

portablecontacts.net  acDvitystrea.ms  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOAF_(soFware)  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_DescripDon_Framework  

Meanwhile:  The  App  Store  Wars..    

•  Handset  manufacturers  –  Apple  /App  Store    

–  Google  /Android  Marketplace  

–  Nokia  /Ovi  

–  RIM  /Blackberry  app  world  

–  MicrosoF  /Windows  Marketplace  for  Mobile  

–  Palm  Catalog  

–  Sony  Ericsson  

•  Operators  –  Vodaphone  

–  Verizon  

–  Orange  

•  Other  –  Amazon  /Android  app  store  

–  etc..  

Meanwhile:  The  Data  Center  Wars..  

•  Google  

•  MicrosoF  

•  Amazon    

•  Yahoo  

•  Cisco  

•  HP  

•  IBM  

•  Dell  

•  Oracle  

•  etc..  

Meanwhile:  The  (Social)  PlaRorm  Wars  

•  Facebook  

•  TwiRer  

•  MicrosoF    

•  Google  

•  etc..  

See  also  

•  AuthenDcaDon  Wars  

•  IdenDty  Wars  

•  Payment  Wars  

•  LocaDon  Wars  

•  Media  Wars  

•  Entertainment  Wars  

•  Video  Wars  

•  Gaming  Wars  

•  Status  Update  Wars  

•  DRM  Wars  

•  etc..  

QuesDon:  

How  likely  is  it  that  relevant  commercial  actors  can  voluntarily  come  to  a  consensus  about  anything  that  truly  

threatens  their  customer  lock-­‐in,  dominant  market  posiDon,  gatekeeper  role,  or  future  opportunity?  

*Alaharju 2003. MA thesis.

*Facebook status entry UI

Paper mediating information between

entities

Setting up a “mobile kit” to anticipate needs related

to a future event

Copy-pasting links and materials between

websites

*Oulasvirta & Sumari 2007. Mobile kits and laptop trays

Cryptic, yet human-readable shopping lists

Information needs related to physical resources

Misusing bulletin board message templates

InformaSon  exchange  as  an  empirical  problem  

InerSa  

•  It  is  difficult  to  change  current  pracDces,  especially  because  of  their  social  or  collaboraDve  nature  (for  example  paper  vs.  digital)  

•  People  use  whatever  means  to  get  the  job  done  here  and  now.  Instead  of  tuning  systems  so  that  they  automaDcally  exchange  informaDon,  people  choose  to  manually  move  informaDon  between  enDDes  

•  Compromise  long-­‐term  interests  in  return  for  short-­‐term  benefits,  for  example:  –  People  trade  anonymity  (email,  phone  etc)  for  insignificant  

tokens.      –  People  subscribe  to  closed  ecosystems  because  they  can  

provide  beRer  user  experience  (e.g.  Apple)  

Using  collaborately  created,  shared  objects  to  complement  exisSng  services  (example  from  Lucre)  

9/29/10  12

•  Widget  placement?  

•  Context-­‐ignorant?  

•  Context-­‐reacDve?  

•  Context-­‐changing?  

?

13 9/29/10

 The  problem  of  interoperability  has  been  solved?  

 ..but  sSll  missing:  

•  Service  independent?  

•  Extensive  visibility  of  social  network?    

•  Widget  placement  

•  Context-­‐ignorant?  

•  Context-­‐reacDve?  

•  Context-­‐changing?  

Yoono  toolbar  

AdBlock  

Customizable  search  bar  TwiRerBar  Loc.alize.us  bookmarklet  Autofill  forms  

Minimap  

Minimap/FireEagle  extension   Facebook  MobWars  applicaDon  

FB  MobWars  autohelper  

Facebook  toolbar  

FB  MobWars  ads  

Yoono  toolbar  ads  

FB  MobWars  Captcha  

Authorized  vs.  hosSle  widgets,  plug-­‐ins,  scripts  and  add-­‐ons  

Summary/Discussion    

•  Naïve  promoters  of  openness  and  interoperability  will  face  inerDa  and  resistance  –  By  the  industrial  actors    –  By  the  end-­‐users  

•  In  addiDon  to  seeking  consensus  between  parDes,  we  should  develop  technology  for  involuntary/unauthorized/hosDle  informaDon  exchange  between  services  –  Radicalize  openness  and  interoperability.  Have  your  technology  

interact  with  services  and  actors  that  are  unwilling  to  co-­‐operate.  –  Compromises  are  likely  just  to  strengthen  the  status  quo  (for  example  

Facebook-­‐only  widget  on  a  news  site)    

•  Radical  concepts  are  needed  also  to  awaken  the  consumers,  who  are  too  comfortable  in  the  walled  gardens  (or  opt-­‐out  altogether)  

THANK  YOU!  

Contact:    Esko  Kurvinen  

esko.kurvinen[at]elisa.fi