Supporting awareness and interaction through domestic media spaces

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Family members often want to share experiences even when they cannot be in the same location at the same time. For example, a parent at work may want to see his child's first steps at home. Similarly, extended family such as grandparents who live far away may want to see their grandchild's soccer game or ballet recital. Video conferencing systems can permit this type of real time sharing, however, such systems are typically designed for short, phone-like conversations and users often face technical hurdles to establish connections. One way to overcome this is through the use of a media space: a technology that creates a virtual connection between one or more locations, usually with always-on video and/or audio links. Media spaces are always running so users can simply walk up and use them. Despite this ease of use, it is still not clear how to design media spaces for the domestic realm so that they can meet the needs of family members while balancing privacy concerns.