Social network architecture design for mobile email

In this paper, a social network visualization system for mobile email is designed and implemented. We established a multi-layer system architecture to extract email data from inbox and visualize it as a large and dense egocentric network. Due to the limitation of screen size, computing power and storage capacity on mobile device, we proposed two specific social network analysis algorithms dividing the ego-centric social network into two contact classification models according to email relationship. Based on these classification models, this system provides visualization-based emails management and contacts searching on mobile device. We also analyzed and designed two visualization algorithms, in which contacts and relationships are represented by nodes and edges with the contacts' data mapped into the nodes' graphic attributes. Combining data attributes and user behaviors of email social network, this paper proposed visualization presenting not only the social network connecting between contacts within inbox, but also calculated and visualized the importance and contribution of the contacts. Using the system, people can get more information and better user experience in emails management and contacts searching. © 2011 by Binary Information Press.