Yours, Mine and Ours? SHaring and Use of Technology in Domestic Environments

Skimming through the papers from UbiComp 2007, I came across this paper named "Yours, Mine and Ours? Sharing and Use of Technology in Domestic Environments" by A.J. Bernheim Brush and Kori M. Inkpen from Microsoft Research, Redmond, USA and Dalhousie University, Canada. Their paper is based on user studies of 15 families (50 people in total) and their sharing and usage of technology.

At the beginning of the paper they identified two different models of domestic technology devices- appliance model, and profile model. The former allows sharing of the device with other family memebers, while the latter model is more personal that requires user authentication.

They surveyed families with varying number of technological devices in their homes to see how the sharing models mentioned above were used on various devices. They also studied if the location of the device determined how it is shared.

The survey showed that most shared devices had multiple profiles. Members had different profiles not for privacy reasons, but for personalization. The same thing holds true for personal devices. For example, portable music players are not shared because one person' s playlist might not work for another.

Based on the survey, they determined that a device with a mixed profile would be ideal for families. This way families will have to buy just one device, but it would also provide user specific functionality.

This paper is very relevant to my project because it reassures that privacy is not an issue within the families. It also outlines the features a domestic technical device must have for optimum functionality.