Exploring Intimate Communication Channels for Long-Distance Relationships

Abstract

This thesis explores how design and technology might help to improve interpersonal connections between family members living far apart. Scentie-Talkie, a wireless prototype, uses scent to enable distant people to feel a shared presence. With an abundance of explicit communication channels available, and even more in development, this research posits that to facilitate intimate relationships over distance, more implicit and abstract platforms also merit exploration.