Context

Situate the design proposal based on at least three references to past works. References to concepts, theory, and methods introduced in class should also be made. These should be well-cited and illustrated.

We are all international students with our immediate family members living in a different country. We looked into precedents around devices that facilitate remote communications across time zones and awareness devices that help to share each party’s locations.

FamilyStories is an asynchronous audio storytelling system. The system is comprised of three different devices with different contextual features. We found TimeKnot most interesting because it intentionally delays the delivery of messages so that the message arrives at a suitable time for the receiver. With that, large time zone differences could be ‘synchronized’. This project expanded our thinking about ways to enliven asynchronous communication, which is always considered might not be as rich as synchronous communications.

The other two precedents apply a similar design principle in different forms. Whereabouts Clock is an awareness device that displays family members’ current locations in four categories, which are home, work, school, elsewhere. People’s locations are tracked through cell phones and they can choose which category a place belongs to, therefore controlling what shows on the display. This project expanded our thinking that communicating locations among family members is less about knowing the geographical location of each other, but more about building emotional connections with one another.

Weasley Whereabouts Clock is another example of exploring location awareness in families. Rather than having two hands that give the time of day, this clock has a hand for each member that points to wherever that person is among 13 categories. From this precedent, we learned that the timing of the communication is more important than the speed of delivery. 

Additionally, the theory and lab lessons from the class turned out to be of great help in the design and implementation of the product. Lessons like advanced output - neopixel and motors, networking of two devices using echo were specifically very helpful and important factors.