Family storytelling for grandparents and grandchildren living apart

Abstract

Grandparents may feel revitalized when a grandchild joins the family, but the physical separation that often exists between grandparents and grandchildren can make it difficult to develop a close relationship. Current communication technologies, such as the phone, are inadequate for developing close relationships with children. This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a technology probe exploring how technology can be designed to alleviate this problem. Based on the evaluation, four important themes for designing technology for distributed intergenerational bonding are elicited and discussed. The four themes are Conversational Context (to have something to talk about), Facilitation (to be given the opportunity to talk), Diversified Interaction Forms (to maintain attention of the child) and Supporting Grandparent caring for grandchild (to adapt activity to the mood of the child).