Askus: Amplifying Mobile Actions

Information sharing has undeniably become ubiquitous in the Internet age. The global village created on the Internet provides people with instant access to information and news on events occurring in a remote area, including access to video content on websites such as YouTube. Thus, the Internet has helped us overcome barriers to information. However, we cannot conceive an event happening in a remote area and respond to it with relevant actions in a real-time fashion. To overcome this problem, we propose a system called Askus, a mobile platform for supporting networked actions. Askus facilitates an extension of the conceivable space and action by including humans in the loop. In Askus, a person’s request is transmitted to a suitable person who will then act in accordance with the request at a remote site. Based on a diary study that led to detailed understanding about mobile assistance needs in everyday life, we developed the Askus platform and implemented the PC-based and mobile phone-based prototypes. We also present the results from our preliminary field trial.