Bridging the Generational Gap: Exploring How Virtual Reality Supports Remote Communication Between Grandparents and Grandchildren

Title of the Paper

Bridging the Generational Gap: Exploring How Virtual Reality Supports Remote Communication Between Grandparents and Grandchildren

Paper Information

• Field of Study: Remote intergenerational communication supported by virtual reality
• Keywords: intergenerational communication, generational gap, virtual reality (VR), elderly, grandparents, grandchildren, communication, remote interaction, participatory design
• Publication Date and Venue: CHI ’23, April 2023, Hamburg, Germany

Research Background and Issues

• Problems or Challenges:

  • Geographic distance caused by younger generations living away for work or study poses challenges to intergenerational communication between grandparents and grandchildren.
  • Current audio-video tools (e.g., phone calls, video chats) struggle to provide a sense of companionship and intimacy, lack shared activities, and often lead to distractions and reduced conversation quality.
  • Although virtual reality (VR) offers immersive experiences and shared activities, research on how grandparents and grandchildren can effectively interact remotely through VR remains scarce.

• Importance of the Research:

  • Strengthening relationships between grandparents and grandchildren contributes to emotional development and self-esteem in grandchildren, while reducing feelings of isolation in grandparents through enhanced social connections.
  • Addressing intergenerational communication issues using technology is particularly significant in aging societies.

• Motivation and Related Work:

  • Previous studies have shown that VR and avatar technologies can provide better shared experiences, but most research focuses on interactions among elderly individuals or task-specific scenarios.
  • This paper aims to explore how grandparents and grandchildren can use VR as a communication medium and design VR features to support their interaction.

Solution

• Research Method:

  • The study employs participatory design methods, including background interviews, VR experiences, semi-structured interviews, and co-design sessions.
  • Core dimensions of the research include:
    1. Appearance and representation of virtual avatars.
    2. Types and modes of interpersonal interaction.
    3. Design of shared activities.

• Innovation and Key Technologies:

  • Investigates the characteristics grandparents and grandchildren desire in their virtual avatars (current appearance, idealized self, non-referential characters) and analyzes the motivations behind their choices.
  • Explores the feasibility of physical interactions (e.g., hugging, holding hands) through virtual avatars and the use of multisensory feedback (e.g., touch, vibration) to enhance intimacy.
  • Designs shared activities to reduce awkwardness in intergenerational communication, such as recreating everyday family scenes, visiting inaccessible landmarks, and nostalgic scenarios.

• Implementation Steps:

  • Participants interact with avatars via head-mounted display devices in virtual environments.
  • Researchers collect quantitative data (e.g., preference ratings) and qualitative feedback (e.g., interview content) to analyze patterns in avatar preferences, human-computer interaction, and activity preferences.

Research Findings

• Specific Discoveries:

  1. Avatar Choices:
     • Avatars representing current appearance allow expression of health status and provide a sense of companionship.
     • Idealized self avatars help build confidence and reduce generational gaps.
     • Non-referential avatars are perceived as fun and expressive.
  2. Interpersonal Interaction:
     • Physical interactions (e.g., hugging, touching) are more accepted in virtual environments and help establish a sense of connection.
     • Multisensory feedback (e.g., virtual vibrations) enhances presence and intimacy.
  3. Role of Shared Activities:
     • Engaging in shared activities in virtual environments (e.g., painting together, virtual travel) helps fill conversational gaps and creates new topics for discussion.
     • Three popular types of activities: exploring inaccessible locations, nostalgic activities, and reenacting everyday scenarios.
  4. Barriers to VR Adoption:
     • Complex setup and operation of VR devices hinder elderly users.
     • Safety concerns (e.g., risk of falling) are critical obstacles.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions:

  • This study is the first to focus on how grandparents and grandchildren can use VR for intergenerational communication, expanding the application of VR in communication.
  • Provides specific design recommendations (e.g., avatar design, diverse shared activities) to significantly meet cross-generational needs.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. The study was conducted as a short-term experiment, which may involve novelty effects; long-term research is needed.
  2. Participants were exclusively from Eastern cultural backgrounds; broader cultural contexts should be explored.
  3. Further quantitative studies are required to verify the psychosocial benefits of VR design features.

Conclusion

This study reveals the potential of VR in facilitating remote communication between grandparents and grandchildren through participatory design research. The findings highlight preferences for three types of avatars and explore possibilities for interpersonal interaction and shared activity design in virtual reality. Based on these insights, the research provides eight specific design recommendations for VR developers and designers, including avatar design, activity creation, and safety measures, to support more meaningful intergenerational connections.