On mobile devices, vibrotactile messages are a common way to give feedback to the user. They might be a less obtrusive means to communicate information about the system status compared to auditory feedback. Much research has focused on the possibilities to perceive and discriminate different vibrotactile messages, less regarding her contentual interpretation. We describe a series of two studies. Aim of the pilot study was to find meaningful vibrotactile messages of which we then wanted to investigate the affective impression and functional connotation on a mobile device within varying staged contexts. Results show that the affective impression of those so-called Tactons is independent of the context. Moreover, we observed a relation between ratings of affective quality and functional applicability. We conclude that tactile feedback messages are unobtrusive, but have to be designed carefully to convey their intended meaning in a working context as well as in a leisure time situation. Tactile feedback. Mobile context. Affective impression.

Several geographically and culturally diverse partners within AT&T areworking as a team to develop new capabilities for the 5ESS® switch inthe international marketplace. Throughout this project, participants from organizations inAT&T Bell Laboratories in the United States and AT&T Network Systems International inThe Netherlands and the United Kingdom have worked together using a common development process. This paper describes the global teamwork involved in the development ofinternational Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) capabilities for the 5ESS switch.