Developing the User Experience in Ubiquitous Commerce

In this position paper we attempt to explore some of the possible effects on the consumer experience due to the introduction of ubiquitous computing systems in retail. We argue that ubicomp technologies may potentially transform the role of particular activities in fundamental ways. Our starting point is a recent study on consumer behavior carried out during the trials of a prototype ubiquitous retail system for grocery shopping. We have observed that novel shopping opportunities, enabled by ubicomp infrastructures can provide a more entertaining and stress-free shopping trip compared to conventional shopping, and thus transform a utilitarian activity into an opportunity for entertainment. We discuss how this shift affects consumer experience design.