Significant Otter: Understanding the Role of Biosignals in Communication

TL;DR

This study introduces Significant Otter, an app that uses biosignals to enhance communication between romantic partners, demonstrating that biosignal sharing fosters more authentic social connections but raises autonomy concerns.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel biosignal-sharing app and evaluates its impact on communication, revealing benefits and challenges of integrating physiological data into social interactions.

Findings

Biosignal sharing enabled more authentic communication.

Participants felt increased social connection with biosignals.

Concerns about autonomy arose from biosignal-based messaging.

Abstract

With the growing ubiquity of wearable devices, sensed physiological responses provide new means to connect with others. While recent research demonstrates the expressive potential for biosignals, the value of sharing these personal data remains unclear. To understand their role in communication, we created Significant Otter, an Apple Watch/iPhone app that enables romantic partners to share and respond to each other's biosignals in the form of animated otter avatars. In a one-month study with 20 couples, participants used Significant Otter with biosignals sensing OFF and ON. We found that while sensing OFF enabled couples to keep in touch, sensing ON enabled easier and more authentic communication that fostered social connection. However, the addition of biosignals introduced concerns about autonomy and agency over the messages they sent. We discuss design implications and future directions for communication systems that recommend messages based on biosignals.