Collaborating in a Crisis: Perspectives on Trust and Technological Framework in Organising a COVID-19 Online Hackathon

This paper explores trust in online-only-collaboration, where a team was gathered to organise a COVID-19 online hackathon with only three days notice. The study is based on the thematic analysis of ten in-depth interviews with the hackathon organisers. The findings report how trust among the organisers was encapsulated in 1) the shared big goal, 2) the significance of real-life networks, 3) a strong lead organiser on the collaboration forming on the fly, and 4) the lack of face-to-face contact in relation to becoming familiar or staying unknown. Technology related findings showed that the collaboration platforms were selected based on familiarity and ease of use. The chosen communication channels created a split between age groups, and transparency of the communication suffered somewhat from one-to-one communications in the background and divided application use. However, trust between the organisers helped them to overcame the transparency challenges. The findings are applicable to societal crisis situations in which technologies are used to build collaboration in aim to address shared challenges. © 2022 ACM.

Cleanleaf table: Preventing the spread of COVID-19 through smart surfaces

One mechanism for the spread of the COVID-19 virus is through contaminated surfaces, e.g.Tables in cafes, trains or public libraries. This mechanism may be prevented by cleaning the table surface between each use. In practice, this can be optimized by directing arriving users to clean tables and highlighting to staff which surfaces require cleaning. One approach to achieve this is through making the table surface itself smart and indicate its clean or dirty status. In the CleanLeaf table we demonstrate two approaches to integrating indication in a table surface, LEDs under a thin wood veneer and electrochromic displays. Rather than explicit light emitting display based signage, the design demonstrates calm computing with the display forming an integral part of the surface design. © 2021 Owner/Author.

People s perspectives on social media use during COVID-19 Pandemic

In this paper, we explore people's perceptions and usage of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it had changed compared to the pre-pandemic times. As salient findings, we report increased activity in social media, which followed both from the increased opportunity to spend time in social media, the need to be socially connected, and the motivation to follow pandemic related updates. The perceived emerging content visible in social media postings were face masks, home and outdoors activities, remote events, and different challenges. Social media also made people aware of the divided opinions related to the pandemic, and could lead to more careful self-censoring of own postings. Our study is based on interviews of 29 and online survey of 172 people. © 2021 ACM.

Practical Family Challenges of Remote Schooling during COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland

The COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020 caused the rapid introduction of remote schooling in many countries. This transition caused a variety of challenges to families, encompassing organizing home workspaces, setting up computing equipment, and, for many parents, managing their own remote working in parallel with the schooling arrangements. This paper describes the findings from an online survey (n = 114) and an in-depth interview study (n = 14) conducted in Finland during the COVID-19 remote schooling phase. Focusing on issues surrounding technology usage in the family setting, we report on the array of applications parents and children were required to manage, strategies to share ICT equipment within families, spatial organizational issues and the high levels of flexibility needed from parents and other stakeholders to enable the remote schooling. © 2020 ACM.

Planning Smart Social Distancing - Mobile Application Concept Design and Evaluation

The COVID-19 crisis has caused social distancing practices to be part of everyday life. We present the concept and user interface design of a smart phone application that enables planning daily schedules in a manner which seeks to optimise the social distancing. We present the application UI design and its evaluation in two focus groups (n = 8). The findings highlight the need for and positive attitude towards a mobile application that supports avoiding crowds during and after the pandemic time. © 2021, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Cough Activated Dynamic Face Visor

In this demo, we present a cough activated face visor, where the transparent visor screen moves to cover the wearer's face when coughing sounds are detected. The cough detection is performed by a TinyML machine learning model, running on a microcontroller integrated to the visor's headband. We make no claims regarding the direct impact of our prototype in preventing the spread of Covid-19, but hope it inspires discussion on future smart solutions in the area of personal protective equipment (PPE). Additionally, we note that visibility of the visor's operation potentially encourages observers to adopt preventative measures such as hygiene practices and social distancing. © 2021 Owner/Author.