Communicating intimacy one bit at a time

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we present a study of 'minimal intimate objects': low bandwidth devices for communicating intimacy for couples in long-distance relationships. We describe a user study of a software intimate object built to communicate a single bit at a time. The results from both log data and journal entries suggest that even a one-bit communication device is seen by users as a valuable and rich channel for communicating intimacy, despite the availability of wider channels of communication such as email, instant messaging, and telephone. We suggest the constrained nature of the communication affords active reinterpretation by its users, and discuss the results in the context of the study of intimacy in human-computer interaction.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.m Miscellaneous

Keywords:
communication, design, domestic technology, gifts, intimacy, intimate technology, presence