Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Minimal Intimate Objects: Open for Interpretation Open Systems – Open STS Cornell University 19 February 2005

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Doing S&TS in Information Science, or Doing Information Science in S&TS Importance of building solutions, not identifying problems Emphasis on reflective design: designs that encourage both the user and the designer to consider their assumptions

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Is it possible to communicate something as complicated as intimacy over a one-bit communication device?

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Prototypes MinIO (Minimal Intimate Object): Computer built inside an Altoids mints container with a button and a large red LED (light). Connected to partner via Internet When button is pushed, partner’s light glows bright red, then fades over time

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Prototypes VIO (Virtual Intimate Object): Software device represented as a small red circle in the taskbar of Window’s screen When circle is clicked, partner’s circle glows bright red, then fades over time

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Focus: VIO In this talk, and in the paper, we are focusing on the use of the VIO. All results and statistics are for couples using the VIO, not the MinIO. This is due to a combination of technical problems with the MinIOs (getting network connections) and participant dropout.

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Methodology: Participants Participants –10 couples in existing long-distance relationships (n=20) 5 couples assigned to VIO (n=10) 5 couples assigned to MinIO (n=10)

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Methodology: Procedure Procedure –Initial screening for technology –Pre-test questionnaire –Daily Logbook for 7 days –Post-test questionnaire –Server logs of every use of IO

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Server Data When a VIO is in use, it checks in with the server every ten seconds, which is logged. The server logs every time a button is pressed. From this we can answer questions like “How many times a day did the local partner in couple 5 press the button? The remote partner?”

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Methodology: Logbook Some question the same every day: –I think I pressed the button ___ times –I think my partner pressed the button ___ times –Likert scales: Questions about relationship; questions about VIO –Explain one of your answers to the Likert scale questions Some questions new every day: –I would name my VIO… –Draw a picture of your ideal IO –Tell us a better way to do this study

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Results 1.Participants used it: 14 to 168 times a day (average 53, SD 65) 2.75% reported VIO made them feel closer to their partner during the study. 3.88% stated it became a regular part of their daily routine. 4.Many participants found it was an unobtrusive way to communicate while at work.

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Responses “When she's online and I'm not distracted by something else, I enjoy seeing VIO red. I feel closer to her.” “…Sometimes you just don’t have time to talk and its nice to have something to know you’re still in your lover’s thoughts, especially in long-distance relationships.” “When I see my VIO light up it makes me happy cause I know [my boyfriend] is thinking about me.”

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Not everyone’s happy… Clicking can feel like an obligation (only 37.5%) –“It seemed more like an obligation because I would get yelled at by my partner if I didn't press it some days.” –This confirms our hypothesis that couples using the VIO functions as a two-person gift economy: when giving a gift, there is an expectation of return. 67% reported it “fell short of their initial expectations”

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Theory: Clicks as Gifts Taylor & Harper (2002). Age-old practices in the 'New World': A study of gift-giving between teenage mobile phone CHI Teenagers' use of text messages function as a gift economy, after Mauss (1923). We found similar hallmarks: obligation; reciprocity, competition

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Theory: Presence Presence and activity awareness...ambient virtual co-presence, or ‘ambient accessibility’, defining “a space of peripheral background presence that is midway between direct interaction and non- interaction.” Ito, M. and Okabe, D. Technosocial Situations: Emergent Structurings of Mobile Use. in Personal, Portable Intimate: Mobile Phones in Japanese Life. M. Ito, M. Matsuda, D. Oakabe, (eds.). MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 2005.

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Conclusion: Dynamic Interpretation Original hypothesis: couples would agree meanings for (deliberately) underspecified interaction It turns out meanings change dynamically: a site for competition, presence and activity awareness, establishing co-presence, gateway for richer interaction.

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Situated Intimate Objects Lucy Suchman, Plans & Situated Actions (1997) Requested changes to VIO (from users) –Let users add sounds of their choice –Decrease perceived response time –Let users pick own schedule for color change –Let users define own colors So: sounds & timing –First click of the morning – plays our song –In the middle of clickwars? Short tap.

Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye et. al. Minimal Intimate Objects Thank you! Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye, Mariah K. Levitt, Jeffrey Nevins, Jessica Golden and Vanessa Schmidt. Communicating Intimacy One Bit At A Time. Proceedings of CHI Joseph 'Jofish' Kaye Culturally Embedded Computing Group Cornell Information Science