Contact Logger: Measuring everyday intergroup contact experiences in near-time

Abstract

Intergroup contact research has traditionally relied on retrospective accounts of intergroup encounters, mainly through survey-based or observational methods. This study introduces and tests the usability of a purpose-built, location-aware mobile application-the Contact Logger. This application enables the recording of interpersonal and intergroup encounters, in public and private spaces (both indoor and outdoor), in their here-and-now contexts. The main advantage of this approach, as compared to traditional methods, lies in its ability to collect repeated and timely (near-time) self-assessments of individuals' behaviors and experiences. It also allows for geographical location data to be logged. Usability testing was conducted in a real-world environment and took place over the course of seven days, during which participants (N = 12) logged every contact they had with an outgroup member (here, older people). Subsequently, participants completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, reporting on the usability and experience of using the Contact Logger. The results showed that the application is a viable and easy-to-use alternative to traditional methods. The information gathered aided the further development and optimization of the application. The outcomes of this development process are also briefly discussed.

Keywords: Ecological momentary assessment; Everyday contact; Experience sampling; Intergenerational contact; Intergroup contact; Mobile smartphone technology; Near-time data collection; Usability.

Fig. 1

Contact Logger—Application process logic.

Fig. 2

Screenshots of the Contact Logger application (Version 1): (a) daily activity, shown once a day, after 4:00 p.m.; (b) contact details; (c) custom contact type; (d) contact details continued, scroll view; (e) current location, with map type selection; (f) contact photo option (optional), with overview of photos taken, including the delete option; (g) daily alarm/reminder (optional); (h) help section (FAQ); and (i) password-protected administration area.

Fig. 3

Seek-bar widget components and functionality (app Version 1).

Fig. 4

Visualization of outgroup contact density. Basemap source: Esri, HERE, Garmin, ©OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community (2011).

Fig. 5

Locatedness of contact quality, from very negative (1) to very positive (5). Basemap source: Esri, HERE, Garmin, ©OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community (2011).

Fig. 6

Screenshots of Contact Logger application (Version 2): (a) daily activity, shown once a day at start; (b) contact details, (c) contact details continued, scroll view; (d) dialog about missing contact attributes; (e) current location; (f) confirmation of successful logging of a contact.