Parental Collaboration and Closeness: Envisioning with New Couple Parents
🤖 AI Summary
New parents frequently experience diminished intimacy during co-parenting, yet existing technologies emphasize task coordination while neglecting relational maintenance. This study pioneers the integration of interdependence theory into intimacy-oriented technology design, proposing a co-parenting framework that incorporates positive affect (e.g., appreciation, enjoyment). Through contextual scenario mapping and design probes, we conducted collaborative brainstorming and future envisioning sessions with ten first-time parent dyads, identifying three core needs: shared information and task coordination, emotional awareness and expression, and playful interaction. Our analysis yields three novel technical directions for fostering intimacy—extending the design space of co-parenting systems beyond functional support. This work advances emotionally augmented family interaction technologies by establishing a theoretically grounded, empirically informed, and practically viable design paradigm.
Application Category
📝 Abstract
Couples often experience a decrease in closeness as they cope with the demands of parenthood. Existing technologies have supported parenting and parental collaboration. However, these technologies do not adequately support closeness in co-parenting. We use scenarios and design probes to brainstorm with 10 new parent couples to explore and envision possibilities for technologies to support closeness. We reported parents' current technology use for co-parenting and how participants considered and envisioned co-parenting technology for closeness, including information and task sharing, emotion awareness and disclosure, and fostering fun interaction. We discuss the potential technology has for fostering closeness in co-parenting by (1) fostering interdependence by supporting parental competence and (2) integrating positive emotions and experiences, such as validation and fun, in parenting. Based on our findings, we expand the design space of technology for closeness to include interdependence. We also expand the design space for co-parenting technology by integrating more positive emotions.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Supporting closeness in co-parenting through technology
Exploring technology for parental interdependence and competence
Integrating positive emotions in co-parenting technology design
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Using scenarios and design probes with couples
Supporting parental competence and interdependence
Integrating positive emotions in co-parenting tech
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