FamilyStories: Asynchronous Audio Storytelling for Family Members Across Time Zones

Family members who are separated across time zones can easily miss out on feeling connected. We designed and studied the usage of an asynchronous storytelling system, called FamilyStories, to explore the use of audio-based sharing. FamilyStories allows family members to share activities and experiences over distance in different time zones using three different devices that contain different contextual features. To evaluate the design, we conducted a five-week long field study with two family member pairs. Our results show the value of slow, flexible, and non-suggestive interfaces for asynchronous audio communication. We also found ephemerality helped in the sharing of 'instant' feelings, while large time zone differences could be 'synchronized' with time delayed messages. We raise these as design opportunities for asynchronous audio storytelling systems.

[1]  Gregory D. Abowd,et al.  Enriching Virtual Visitation in Divorced Families , 2013 .

[2]  Jodi Forlizzi,et al.  ComSlipper: an expressive design to support awareness and availability , 2006, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[3]  Martin R. Gibbs,et al.  Hug over a distance , 2005, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[4]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Moving from talking heads to newlyweds: exploring video chat use during major life events , 2014, Conference on Designing Interactive Systems.

[5]  Kenton O'Hara,et al.  Everyday dwelling with WhatsApp , 2014, CSCW.

[6]  John C. Tang,et al.  SeeSaw: I See You Saw My Video Message , 2015, MobileHCI.

[7]  Leon Adam Watts,et al.  YourGloves, hothands and hotmits: devices to hold hands at a distance , 2012, UIST.

[8]  Xiang Cao,et al.  Understanding family communication across time zones , 2010, CSCW '10.

[9]  Leonardo Bonanni,et al.  PlayPals: tangible interfaces for remote communication and play , 2006, CHI EA '06.

[10]  Gregory D. Abowd,et al.  CU-Later: a communication system considering time difference , 2010, UbiComp '10 Adjunct.

[11]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  The family window: the design and evaluation of a domestic media space , 2010, CHI.

[12]  Patrick Olivier,et al.  TimelyPresent: Connecting families across continents , 2013, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[13]  A. Sellen,et al.  Connecting Families: An Introduction , 2013 .

[14]  Eli Blevis,et al.  Understanding why we preserve some things and discard others in the context of interaction design , 2009, CHI.

[15]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Flex-N-Feel: The Design and Evaluation of Emotive Gloves for Couples to Support Touch Over Distance , 2017, CSCW.

[16]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Interpersonal awareness in the domestic realm , 2006, OZCHI.

[17]  Ted Selker,et al.  Lover's cups: drinking interfaces as new communication channels , 2006, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[18]  John Zimmerman,et al.  Designing for slowness, anticipation and re-visitation: a long term field study of the photobox , 2014, CHI.

[19]  Xiang Cao,et al.  Home video communication: mediating 'closeness' , 2010, CSCW '10.

[20]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  The Autobiographical Design and Long Term Usage of an Always-On Video Recording System for the Home , 2017, Conference on Designing Interactive Systems.

[21]  Betsy DiSalvo,et al.  Navigating Media Use: Chinese Parents and Their Overseas Adolescent Children on WeChat , 2017, Conference on Designing Interactive Systems.

[22]  William Odom,et al.  Understanding Long-Term Interactions with a Slow Technology: an Investigation of Experiences with FutureMe , 2015, CHI.

[23]  Johan Redström,et al.  Slow Technology – Designing for Reflection , 2001, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[24]  Elizabeth D. Mynatt,et al.  Digital Family Portrait Field Trial: Support for Aging in Place , 2005, CHI.

[25]  Kenton O'Hara,et al.  The ‘interrogative gaze’:Making video calling and messaging ‘accountable’ , 2017 .

[26]  Larissa Pschetz,et al.  Temporal Design: Rethinking time in design , 2017 .

[27]  Tomoo Inoue,et al.  Virtually dining together in time-shifted environment: KIZUNA design , 2013, CSCW.

[28]  Kori Inkpen Quinn,et al.  SPARCS: exploring sharing suggestions to enhance family connectedness , 2008, CSCW.

[29]  Ron Wakkary,et al.  Investigating Slowness as a Frame to Design Longer-Term Experiences with Personal Data: A Field Study of Olly , 2019, CHI.

[30]  John T. Stasko,et al.  A taxonomy of ambient information systems: four patterns of design , 2006, AVI '06.

[31]  Azadeh Forghani,et al.  Media2gether: Sharing Media during a Call , 2014, GROUP.

[32]  Kori Inkpen Quinn,et al.  Exploring communication and sharing between extended families , 2009, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud..

[33]  Hiroshi Ishii,et al.  LumiTouch: an emotional communication device , 2001, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[34]  Frank Vetere,et al.  Supporting young children's communication with adult relatives across time zones , 2011, OZCHI.

[35]  Xiang Cao.  Connecting Families across Time Zones , 2013 .

[36]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Quality 'Alone' Time through Conversations and Storytelling: Podcast Listening Behaviors and Routines , 2018, Graphics Interface.

[37]  Allison Druin,et al.  Technology probes: inspiring design for and with families , 2003, CHI '03.

[38]  Azadeh Forghani,et al.  G2G: The Design and Evaluation of a Shared Calendar and Messaging System for Grandparents and Grandchildren , 2018, CHI.

[39]  Lorna M. Brown,et al.  Sonic gems: exploring the potential of audio recording as a form of sentimental memory capture , 2008, BCS HCI.

[40]  Tom Gross,et al.  VideoPal: Exploring Asynchronous Video-Messaging to Enable Cross-Cultural Friendships , 2011, ECSCW.

[41]  Bin Xu,et al.  Automatic Archiving versus Default Deletion: What Snapchat Tells Us About Ephemerality in Design , 2016, CSCW.

[42]  Paul Johns,et al.  Video kids: augmenting close friendships with asynchronous video conversations in videopal , 2012, CHI.

[43]  Wijnand A. IJsselsteijn,et al.  Connecting the family with awareness systems , 2007, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[44]  Paul Johns,et al.  Video threads: asynchronous video sharing for temporally distributed teams , 2012, CSCW.

[45]  Mark S. Ackerman,et al.  KidKeeper: Design for Capturing Audio Mementos of Everyday Life for Parents of Young Children , 2017, CSCW.

[47]  Jeffery Pittam.  Voice in social interaction , 1994 .

[48]  John C. Tang,et al.  Focusing on shared experiences: moving beyond the camera in video communication , 2012, DIS '12.

[49]  Justin Cheng,et al.  GoSlow: designing for slowness, reflection and solitude , 2011, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[50]  Lorna M. Brown,et al.  Sonic interventions: understanding and extending the domestic soundscape , 2008, CHI.

[51]  Eva Hornecker,et al.  United-pulse: feeling your partner's pulse , 2008, Mobile HCI.

[52]  Daniela Petrelli,et al.  FM radio: family interplay with sonic mementos , 2010, CHI.

[53]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Exploring video streaming in public settings: shared geocaching over distance using mobile video chat , 2014, CHI.

[54]  Wendy E. Mackay,et al.  Sharing empty moments: design for remote couples , 2009, CHI.

[55]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Understanding and improving flow in digital photo ecosystems , 2009, Graphics Interface.

[56]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Connecting Family Members Across Time Through Shared Media , 2017, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[57]  Carman Neustaedter,et al.  Postulater: slowing the pace of media sharing , 2014, DIS Companion '14.

[58]  Simon King,et al.  Slow messaging: intimate communication for couples living at a distance , 2007, DPPI.