This presentation looks at ways in which communication is organised between grandparents and grandchildren today and how one can use offline attributes to help in creating online communication and connectedness.

1. Intergenerational Emotional
Communication
Between geographically separated grandparents and grandchildren
By: Rozina Sidhu Koskela

2. RELATEDNESS
Connectedness
Intimacy
Love
Belonging
Closeness
Togetherness
(Hassenzahl et al; All you need is love)

3. COMMUNICATION
Digital gameplay
Unified communication
Telecommunications

4. THE CONTEXT
Traditional V’s modern families
Geographic separation
> Dependence on IEC’s

5. WHAT DO WE KNOW?
Grandparents & grandchildren play together
The way they conduct activities in the same place
face to face V’s technology mediated
communication

6. DESIGN KNOWLEDGE
Use the basis of offline activities…(face to face)
To gain a design approach for:
- online activities
- evaluation of concepts
- prototypes

7. ATTRIBUTES
Activity duration/exiting
Scheduling activities
Preparation & initiation
Content of activities
Shortness & simplicity
Artifacts
Social presence
(Fuchsberger, V., et al; Attributes of successful
intergenerational online activities)

8. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
How do grandparents and grandchildren
communicate over distance at the present day?
How is the communication organized?
Which factors affect communication over distance
negatively?

9. Which face to face activities do grandparents and
grandchildren conduct together for entertainment
and for fostering their relationship?
How are these activities organized?
What affects face to face activities negatively?

10. STRATEGIES
JOINT ACTION GIFT GIVING
(Hassenzahl et al; All you need is love)

11. JOINT ACTION
Artifacts that allow for carrying out an action
together
Established routines v’s new routines
Requirements for design:
- activating communication
- behavioral interdependence
- selection of activities
- serendipity

12. GIFT GIVING
Artifacts that demonstrate caring and valuing the
other person by gift giving.
Requirements for design:
- reflection
- effort and appreciation
- thoughtfulness and similarity
- symbolic communication

13. DISTRIBUTED HIDE & SEEK
A game that helps to bridge the gap
between grandparents and grandchildren
separated by distance
(Vetere,
F.,
Nolan,
M.,
Raman,
R.,
2006)

14. CHALLENGES
Designing for the very young
Designing for the elderly
Supporting a playful activity
Situating play “in the world”
Strengthening social relationships
Engendering pleasure

15. SCENARIO

16. Feedback:
Voice communication
Musical Reward
Sharing:
Artifacts
Gift giving (Hassenzahl et al)
Psychological aspects/requirements for design
Roles:
Swapping through toggling

17. Situation action - “Interrelationship between an
action and context of performance” (Chen & Rada)
Joint action integrated into digital world
Connected play – repertoire of emotions
Content of activities
> learning environment > virtual social presence
SITUATED PLAY

18. Design for technologically naïve > simple
knowledge
Consensual decisions made > change status
Supports:
preparation & initiation
activity duration – opting out
OTHER FINDINGS…

19. TELEPHONE
Emotion through language
Functionality v’s relatedness (Hassenzahl, et al)
Inability to contextualize shared experience (Feltham, F.,
et al)
Joint activity supported by synchronal joint
information (Evjemo, B., et al)

20. A GIVEN CONTEXT
“sharing the day’s events”
- digital screen (pictures & drawings) +
- telephone for voice communication
“sharing grandma’s world”
- Digital screen (sources of information) +
- telephone for voice communication
Sharing artifacts
Ø connecting emotions
Ø Social virtual presence (Evjemo, B., Svendsen, G., Rinde, E.,
Johnsen, J. 2004).

21. EMERGING THEMES
Creation of meaning
Narrative & Language

22. CREATING MEANING
Making games meaningful - Salen & Zimmerman
Semiotics - well designed interactions
Social & psychological experience – virtual game
world
(De Schutter, B.,Vanden Abeele, V. 2010)

23. NARRATIVE & LANGUAGE
Emergent narrative:
- coupled
- context dependent
Explicit v’s implicit communication
- explicit expression supported by expressivity
- grandparents definition of role > trust

24. ANALYSIS
Face to Face
EMOTION
RELATIONSHIP TECHNOLOGY
Joint Action
Tech mediated
Happy & fun
Comfort & yearning
Reassurance & obligation
Identity & hope
Specific user for
specific media
Doing things
together
Object with
meaning
(Ref: Kim, H & Monk; emotions
experienced by families living at a
distance)

25. THANK YOU!