Moving pictures:User experiences about video messaging

VTT researched during the spring of 2003 mobile video recorded by the users themselves. Both the introduction of the service and its use were examined. Forty people with their families and friends tried video messaging on a mobile phone. New consumer services and the needs of special groups were studied in the test. Due to that, both hearing-impaired and hearing children, adolescents and adults from the entire Finland took part in the research. This study was preceded by a pilot study during the autumn of 2002. In the pilot study the possibilities of using sign language in visual mobile communication was researched. In a field trial in February and March 2003, a mobile video application was installed in the multimedia phones of the people participating in the tests. The application made possible recording, storing and sending mobile video from one terminal to another, or to the Internet. Some of the people used the video application on their own multimedia phones, whereas some of the people did not have any previous experience of mobile multimedia. The latter were given a mobile multimedia terminal with a connection for the tests. Each user employed the video service for at least two weeks. The research indicated that mobile video adapts rather diversely as a part of the mobile communication and life management of the users. The users described it as current, intimate, personal, festive and eloquent. They regarded video as a good medium for communicating feelings and events, which had much movement. Video messaging served especially well the users of sign language. There were, however, many difficulties in introducing mobile multimedia. These complications hindered the users from introducing this service into their use. The users also criticised the price of multimedia messaging and the shortness of the video clips. The size of multimedia messages (Multimedia Messaging Service, MMS) is currently limited to one hundred kilobytes. Because of this, also the size of the video clips can not exceed one hundred kilobytes. During the test period, the use of video varied from documenting personal memories to directing humoristic stories with images. Some of the video clips were forwarded to other users; some were only for personal use and were stored either in the mobile terminal or on a desktop computer. 'Spoken SMS messages', in which the user spoke his message looking at the camera, were also recorded as video. The Deaf, in particular, liked to use these personal video clips. Video messaging was the first possibility for the Deaf to use signing in mobile communications, in their own language. These varied ways of using mobile video predicted the coming of real-time video messaging of third generation (3G) networks. Mobile video application by Hantro Products was used in this research. This application, CamCorder, can record video clips of length of 10-30 seconds. These clips can be sent as multimedia messages (MMS), by email, or transferred wirelessly to another terminal. Video messaging was tested mainly using the Radiolinja service, but some users had a mobile subscription of DNA Finland, Telia or TeliaSonera. The test was conducted using two different Nokia mobile terminals. Those users, who were using the multimedia service with their own mobile phones, used Nokia 7650 with a camera. That model was launched in the summer of 2002. In addition to that, Nokia 3650 was used. It was the first actual videophone, and it came with a separate memory card. This model was launched in Finland during the field trials. Qualitative methods were used to collect feedback from the users. All users were interviewed at least twice. A library of photos and videos for illustrating the use of mobile multimedia was collected from the users. This video experiment was part of a more extensive research aggregate. A research project about mobile visual messaging is being prepared in VTT Information Technology.