Paper:"Embracing ambiguity in the design of non-stigmatizing digital technology for social interaction among senior citizen

Sokoler and Svensson used ethnographic research methods to learn about social interaction between older residents of 3 senior housing facilities in Sweden. They found that everyday activities such as going on walks or doing the gardening provide a 'ticket to talk' with unacquainted older people. They are argue that many everyday activities in public or semi-public places open opportunities for social interaction because it leaves room for ambiguities and unspoken non-explicit intention where people can choose to take part in interaction. They provide the example of the 'gardening lot' where people pass by, rest on a bench, have brief conversations, swap tools and plants. They suggest that designers (of digital technology for social interaction) deliberately leave room for ambiguity to make it possible for people to leave their intentions of use unarticulated. The thought of ambiguity and 'not labelling what it is for' supports my current design idea of the 'teletalker'. However, the 'teletalker' system itself would not be integrated 'invisibly' in everyday activities, but be placed in a semi-public place to evoke curiosity. I write more about my idea once I achieved prototyping stage. T. Sokoler, M.S. Svensson: Embracing ambiguity in the design of non-stigmatizing digital technology for social interaction among senior citizens Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol 26, No.4, July-August 2007, 297 - 307