Design of Communication Interfaces Together with Family Members in interLiving (Kooperative Gestaltung von Kommunikationsschnittstellen mit Familienmitgliedern im Projekt interLiving)

Abstract

Summary The paper describes the way in which family members were involved in a project which aimed at designing technology to enhance communication between family members of different generations between 1 and 76 years old. This called for the use of several different methods and techniques in order to get information and understanding of the persons' needs and desires. The paper also describes in greater detail how one of the prototypes was developed. The approach was cooperative design with no specific technique or medium decided from the beginning. The researchers working in the project had different backgrounds, for example in ethnography, computer science, and industrial design. They closely worked together in the different activities. The paper concludes by discussing the approach and comparing it to other possible design processes.