InPhase: evaluation of a communication system focused on "happy coincidences" of daily behaviors

To supplement existing forms of communication such as telephone and e-mail, this research proposes a new method of communicating “awareness” between people who are separated by long distances. In this paper, we investigate cases where coincidences in daily activities lead to casual conversation and thus intimacy and togetherness. We propose a new method of communicating these “happy coincidences” between a pair of remotely located locations. By equipping furniture and appliances such as doors, sofas, refrigerators and televisions with sensors, we developed a system wherein these items are connected to remote equivalents and their near simultaneous use is communicated. We conducted a two month field test of the system in a laboratory setting and a three month field test in an actual home. The study showed that the participant felt the presence of other people and thought about, imagined or even confirmed the habits of others by intentionally triggering the coincidence notificat...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: CHI
• Authors: Hitomi Tsujita, Koji Tsukada, Itiro Siio
• Keywords: Author Keywords Coincidences, CHI 2010, Field Test, Human Computer Interaction, Month Field Test