The Playful Potential of Digital Commensality

Learning from Spontaneous Playful Remote Dining Practices

Conference paper (2022)

Authors

Khawla Alhasan University of Kent
Eleonora Ceccaldi University of Genoa
Alexandra Covaci University of Kent
Maurizio Mancini Sapienza University of Rome
Ferran Altarriba Bertran University of Girona
G. Huisman Human Information Communication Design - IDE
M. Lemke Design Aesthetics - IDE
Chee Siang Ang University of Kent
Research Group
Design Aesthetics (IDE) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2022 Khawla Alhasan, Eleonora Ceccaldi, Alexandra Covaci, Maurizio Mancini, Ferran Altarriba Bertran, G. Huisman, M. Lemke, Chee Siang Ang
DOI
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https://doi.org/10.1145/3549517
Augmented Reality Empirical study Interaction Design Playfulness Commensality Human Food Interaction HFI Computer Mediated Communication Games/Play Digital Commensality
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Published Date

2022

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Industrial Design Engineering

Department

Human-Centered Design

Research Group

Design Aesthetics

Abstract

With one-person households being increasingly common and Covid-19 lockdown policies forcing people to stay home, remote dining has become common practice for many, who take it as an opportunity to connect with others in times of loneliness. Sharing meals online, also known as digital commensality, is a rich form of interaction, where people leverage technology to achieve a sense of connectedness and belonging while eating. In this paper, we look at digital commensality and we explore its inherent playful potential with the aim to inspire the design of engaging technologies that can support, enhance and augment this form of interaction. For this, we used a situated play design approach to document and analyze the behavior of 36 people (including pairs of friends and strangers) sharing meals online. Our analysis surfaced a set of play potentials of remote dining - i.e., playful things people already do and enjoy spontaneously while sharing meals online. We present those play potentials as inspirational material: they can motivate and enrich the design of future digital commensality technologies by responding to people's desire for playful and social interaction with, through, and around food.

Files

3549517.pdf
(.pdf | 6.43 Mb)