Microsoft recently released a new software which they have dubbed ‘Recall’, which allows users to search across the history of their computer activity through screenshots. This new technology has been widely compared to a digital version of Lifelogging. Interestingly, an ex DCU PhD student Zaher Hinbarji and ADAPT deputy director, Professor Cathal Gurrin, have been at the forefront of research into Lifelogging for human-computer interactions since 2016.
In a research paper named ‘LoggerMan, A Comprehensive Logging and Visualization Tool to Capture Computer Usage’ Hinbarji, Gurrin and collaborators delved into a program which they created named ‘LoggerMan’ (LoggerMan.org) which was a comprehensive logging tool that creates a simple and accessible way of exploring the use of your computer, including searching through your past interactions and exploring a timeline of all the content you created or read.
Due to the ever-increasing importance of technology in our daily lives, Hinbarji recognised the need for a system that could capture our personal human-computer interactions. LoggerMan carries this out by passively collecting data produced during normal computer usage. Hinbarji felt that the data collected could be invaluable to discover significant information about individual users, which in turn can help when building personalised services.
The LoggerMan system was designed to collect a wide range of data by capturing keystrokes, tracking mouse movements, screenshotting the active window at regular intervals, logging app transitions and monitoring copy-paste operations. The program could then deliver back insights to the user about their computer usage. These insights can be presented through various visualisation tools, including graphs, keyboard heatmaps and word clouds. An easily navigated timeline also summarises computer usage, making it simple for users to understand their interaction patterns. LoggerMan has been designed with user-friendliness in mind, ensuring that it is quick and easy to set up for anyone. At the same time, Loggerman was designed to operate ‘at the edge’ which means that the data always remained on the user’s computer.
The researchers believe that data collected by the system can help in developing personalised services. By understanding users’ interaction patterns, services can be tailored to meet specific needs and preferences, enhancing user experience.
If you are interested in trying out the LoggerMan system, go to loggerman.org or check out the research paper that Hinbarji wrote at https://doras.dcu.ie/20862/.
