The Domestic Operating System: An Empirical Investigation of Digital Technology and Hidden Work in the Home

Paper Title

The Domestic Operating System: An Empirical Investigation of Digital Technology and Hidden Work in the Home

Publication Info

• Topic area: Intersection of digital technology and hidden family management labour.
• Keywords: Hidden labour, family management, cognitive labour, emotional labour, domestic technology, HCI, family dynamics, digital tools, inclusion, self-regulation.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Digital tools primarily support visible household tasks (e.g., chores, scheduling) but fail to address hidden cognitive and emotional labours, such as managing household vision and values, which are fragmented, invisible, and poorly supported.
• Significance: Hidden family management labour is critical for household functioning and well-being but remains undervalued and unequally distributed, leading to stress, mental overload, and relationship strain.
• Motivation and related work: Prior sociological and feminist research has categorized hidden labours, while HCI has explored task management and smart home systems. However, gaps remain in understanding how digital tools interact with value-driven, emotional, and relational aspects of family management.

Solution

• Proposed approach: Empirical investigation of six forms of family management labour, linking sociological taxonomies to digital tool use through a survey of 50 participants.
• Novelty:
  1. Empirical mapping of digital support and gaps across six forms of family management labour.
  2. Introduction of "Life-Crafting" as a meta-labour encompassing household vision and values.
  3. Identification of novel domains like inclusion, special events, and work-life balance.
  4. Analysis of how digital tools support, obscure, or reshape hidden labours.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Surveyed 50 UK participants on six family management labour types.
  • Conducted content and thematic analyses to map participant experiences to existing taxonomies and identify gaps.
  • Examined digital tool use and its impact on hidden labours.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Digital tools support visible tasks like planning and monitoring but fail to address abstract and emotionally nuanced labours like Life-Crafting and self-regulation.
  • Novel terms (e.g., personalising, curating, mediating) and domains (e.g., inclusion, special events) emerged, highlighting gaps in existing taxonomies.
  • Feeding and finance were prominent domains, with feeding being cognitively complex but under-supported by technology.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Extended sociological taxonomies to include hybrid and value-driven domains.
  • Highlighted the relational and emotional dimensions of family management overlooked by current digital tools.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Mixed-methods analysis of survey data, combining deductive content analysis with inductive thematic analysis.
  • Mapped participant-reported practices to existing taxonomies and identified novel contributions.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Survey format limited exploration of situated practices and emotional impacts.
  • Cultural and social variations were not fully addressed due to the UK-based sample.
  • Future work should include qualitative methods, explore AI's role in family management, and investigate Life-Crafting as a meta-labour.

Summary

This study examines how digital technologies intersect with six forms of hidden family management labour, revealing uneven support across domains. While tools like calendars and banking apps support visible tasks, value-driven and relational labours such as Life-Crafting and self-regulation remain poorly supported. Novel domains like inclusion and special events highlight gaps in existing frameworks. The findings suggest that digital tools should move beyond task efficiency to support collaborative, value-driven, and emotionally nuanced aspects of family life. Future research should explore co-designed tools and AI systems that respect household values while avoiding new inequities.