Companions: Objects accruing Value and Memories by being a Part of our Lives

Annemarie Zijlema, Elise van den Hoven, Berry Eggen

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

    4 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Cherished utilitarian objects can provide comfort and pleasure through their associations to our personal past and the time and energy we have invested in and with them. In this paper, we present a specific type of object relationship, which we call the companion. They are mundane objects that accrued meaning over time, and evoke tiny pleasures when we interact with them. We then draw insights from the HCI research literature on digital possessions and attachment that could be applied to enhance digital products or processes with companion qualities. We argue the importance to design for digital companionship in everyday use products, for example by enabling the accruement of subtle marks of the owners past with the product. We wish to evoke thought and awareness of the role of companions, and how this relationship can be supported in digital products
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the 28th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction
    PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM)
    Pages170-174
    Number of pages5
    ISBN (Print) 978-1-4503-4618-4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 29 Nov 2016
    EventOzCHI '16 Proceedings of the 28th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction - Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
    Duration: 29 Nov 20162 Dec 2016
    http://www.ozchi.org/ozchi2016/

    Conference

    ConferenceOzCHI '16 Proceedings of the 28th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction
    Abbreviated titleOzCHI '16
    Country/TerritoryAustralia
    CityTasmania
    Period29/11/162/12/16
    Internet address

    Keywords

    • Digital possessions
    • memory cues
    • product relationships
    • traces of use
    • interaction design

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