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Connecting Families pp 15–36Cite as

Designing for Collocated Couples

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Abstract

Though the design of technologies for couples has been thriving for well over a decade now, the products made for and the needs of couples examined in HCI research are surprisingly narrow. Overwhelmingly they are for partners at a distance and lightweight interactions that can best be described as abstracted presence. Towards moving couples technologies into broader waters and guiding exploration of the many other facets of couplehood, we propose an expanded couples design space that includes technologies for local partners and deep interpersonal sharing—hitherto underexplored design concerns. We then show that the creation of these new spaces can be motivated by the needs of couples as characterized by couples experts and present an example of a new technology that embodies these. Finally, we draw from experience with couples in the field to identify research and design considerations regarding gender, power, values, and ethics.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that couple-centered design is not confined to delivering constructive experiences and avoiding destructive ones, as these terms may be variously defined. It is instead about understanding how technology can interact with couplehood and designing accordingly.

  2. 2.

    Three technology designers did not specify their target user group in reference to distance.

  3. 3.

    Four technology designs did not restrict communication to abstracted presence.

  4. 4.

    Throughout the rest of the chapter, I use the terms deep interpersonal sharing and mutual reflection interchangeably, although the former need not imply the latter.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks are in order. Thanks to Intel for funding this work. Thanks also to Tad Hirsch, who was instrumental in the inception of the project, and the many others who have guided it along the way: Joon S. Lee, Clarissa ‘K’ Stiles, Jason Chong Lee, Deborah Tatar, Dawn Nafus, Christopher M. Hoadley, Fred P. Piercy, Denis Kafura, and Manuel A. Pérez-Quiñones. Finally, we are grateful to the participants who have shared their time, expertise, and personal stories.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and School of Visual Arts, Center for Human-Computer Interaction, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2202 Kraft Drive, 24060, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Stacy Branham & Assoc. Prof. Steve Harrison

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  1. Stacy Branham
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  2. Assoc. Prof. Steve Harrison
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Correspondence to Stacy Branham .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Interactive Arts & Technology, Simon Fraser University, 102 Avenue 250-13450, Surrey, V3T 0A3, British Columbia, Canada

    Carman Neustaedter

  2. Department of Computer Science and Schoo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State, Kraft Drive 2202, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, Virginia, USA

    Steve Harrison

  3. Microsoft Research Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue 7, Cambridge, CB3 0FB, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

    Abigail Sellen

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Branham, S., Harrison, S. (2013). Designing for Collocated Couples. In: Neustaedter, C., Harrison, S., Sellen, A. (eds) Connecting Families. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4192-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4192-1_2

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