ECOM6024 - Mobile and pervasive commerce

Instructor	Professor Norman Sadeh ( sadeh@cs.cmu.edu )
Teaching assistant	Mr. Erwin Lau
Syllabus	With over 4.5 billion mobile phone users worldwide, including around 1.5 billion smartphone users by mid 2014, new wireless and pervasive computing applications and services are changing the way enterprises interact with their customers and employees. The explosion in smartphone ownership along with the deployment of 4G networks is leading to a slew of new mobile applications and services. They range from mobile commerce services to wireless enterprise apps and mobile social networking apps, all the way to more futuristic Internet of Things and intelligent assistant solutions.
Objectives	The objective of the module is to introduce participants to the technologies, services, applications and business models associated with Mobile and Pervasive Commerce. This includes looking at important usability, security, privacy and business considerations, and learning to appreciate and analyze the challenges and tradeoffs they entail.
Learning outcomes	Have a managerial understanding of the technologies of mobile and pervasive commerce as well as a practical understanding of the business, usability, security and privacy issues they give rise to. Be able to evaluate critical design tradeoffs associated with different mobile technologies, architectures, interfaces and business models and how they impact the usability, security, privacy and commercial viability of mobile and pervasive computing applications and services.
Prior knowledge expected	Understanding of basic e-Commerce techniques and business models.
Topics covered	Lecture 1: Context and Trends: The Forces Behind Mobile and Pervasive Commerce Getting organized Objectives of the course Context and Trends: The Forces Behind Mobile and Pervasive Commerce From i-Mode to the App Store: What are the ingredients for success in this space? Lecture 2: Mobile Communications: A Managerial Overview A managerial overview of 1 thru 4G technologies Overview of WiFi and relevant short-range wireless technologies Understanding the implications for mobile and pervasive commerce and in particular for the development and deployment of mobile and pervasive computing applications and services Lecture 3: Mobile Internet Technologies, Mobile OSs, the Mobile Web, Mobile Web Development Environments, the Role of the Cloud Mobile Internet Challenges: A Managerial Overview Managerial Overview of major Mobile Operating Systems iOS Android Windows Managerial Overview of Native Mobile Development Environments (iPhone SDK, Android SDK) How is HTML5 changing this picture? And related platform independent environments (e.g. PhoneGap, SenchaTouch) Android Voice API Mobile APIs: Key to growing the app store ecosystem Understanding the growing importance of the Cloud: Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) What does it all mean for application developers and businesses? Lecture 4: Developing Usable Mobile Applications and Services Designing Mobile Internet Applications: Usability Challenges Results of recent mobile usability studies (e.g. native apps vs. web apps, impact of touch screens, mobile vs fixed) User-Centered Design Principles Mobile Usability Best Practices Case Studies Lecture 5: Mobile Security Introduction to Lab Exercises A managerial overview of the unique security challenges associated with mobility Physical threats Network threats Web-based threats App-based threats The implications of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Mobile Device Management (MDM): How much can you control? The importance and challenges of security awareness and training Lecture 6: Mobile Applications Today Mobile App Marketplaces: Understanding the business model and how it will evolve, understanding key stats, understanding who is making money, how and why. Mobile Infotainment Services, Mobile Ticketing, Mobile Banking, Mobile Advertising, Mobile e-Tailing, Mobile TV, etc. Including a close look at prevailing and emerging business models Understanding Mobile Advertising Activity Bracelets, Smart watches and other emerging ecosystems Bridging the gap between the physical and virtual worlds: the next frontier & how far can it go? In-depth look at a few trend setting applications Discussion Topic: Android vs. iPhone: Who will win? Lecture 7: Mobile Payment Solutions & Location-Based Services Mobile Payments Mobile Payment: Understanding the value proposition Mobile Payment: Understanding the design space and key business, f security, usability, interoperability, and privacy tradeoffs Looking at different mobile solutions and understanding how they address the above tradeoffs Location-Based Services Overview of positioning/location tracking technologies GPS, A-GPS, WiFi-based location tracking, hybrid solutions, combining 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer readings, etc. Overview of Location-Based Services (LBS) Services, Technologies and Business Models Indoor navigation (malls, airports, corporations) Understanding mobility patterns and issues of location privacy Lecture 8: Context Awareness & Intelligent Personal Assistants Context Awareness Revisiting the growing collection of APIs, cell phone based sensors and external sensors How much can we tell about the user’s context today? The power of data mining Intelligent Personal Assistants: Understanding How Siri Works Google Now versus Siri Siri as the new mobile operating system Siri and mobile advertising Lecture 9: Mobile Privacy Understanding Privacy: Fundamental concepts Privacy: Understanding the legal and regulatory framework, including the Hong Data Privacy Ordinance, the EU Data Protection Directive and US regulatory system Privacy: Understanding the usability challenges Mobile Privacy: the complexity of the value chain Mobile privacy studies: Do users care? How much do they understand? Mobile privacy: understanding cognitive and behavioral biases Mobile App Privacy: How bad is it? – A Customer’s Perspective Mobile App Privacy: Best Practices – A Developer’s Perspective Lecture 10: Future Mobile & Pervasive Commerce Services, Final Review & Closer Look at the Exercises A Closer Look at the Exercises including Q&A Selective Overview of Mobile and Pervasive Computing Efforts in Industry and Academia The emerging Internet of Things: Understanding the trends and the vision The Internet of Things: understanding the pitfalls – including security, privacy and usability challenges The Internet of Things and Big Data: What does it mean? Looking at MIT’s Sixth Sense Project Looking at DoCoMo’s vision of the future Review in Preparation for the Final Exam
Teaching format	Ten 3-hour sessions including lectures and class discussions.
Assessment	Class participation: 5% Student presentation: 15% Hands-on lab exercises: 40% Closed book final Exam: 40% Date: 3 July 2015 (Fri) Time 7:30pm - 9:30pm Venue: TBA
Course materials	There is no required textbook for this course. In general, the slides used in each lecture are the required material. At the end of each lecture, the instructor will provide a list of optional readings for students interested in more in-depth look at some topics. For some lectures, the instructor will also provide one or two short article for students to read in preparation for discussions in class.
Enrolment	No add or drop after 22 May 2015.
Class quota	Class size will be maintained at 60.

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