Exploring the Opportunities of AR for Enriching Storytelling with Family Photos between Grandparents and Grandchildren

TL;DR

This paper explores how augmented reality can enhance intergenerational storytelling with family photos, providing new interactive capabilities to strengthen bonds between grandparents and grandchildren.

Contribution

It introduces novel AR-based design probes and insights into supporting intergenerational storytelling, addressing limitations of existing technology approaches.

Findings

AR enables new storytelling interactions and engagement.

Feasibility of AR in intergenerational contexts is demonstrated.

Design implications for future AR storytelling tools are identified.

Abstract

Storytelling with family photos, as an important mode of reminiscence-based activities, can be instrumental in promoting intergenerational communication between grandparents and grandchildren by strengthening generation bonds and shared family values. Motivated by challenges that existing technology approaches encountered for improving intergenerational storytelling (e.g., the need to hold the tablet, the potential view detachment from the physical world in Virtual Reality (VR)), we sought to find new ways of using Augmented Reality (AR) to support intergenerational storytelling, which offers new capabilities (e.g., 3D models, new interactivity) to enhance the expression for the storyteller. We conducted a two-part exploratory study, where pairs of grandparents and grandchildren 1) participated in an in-person storytelling activity with a semi-structured interview 2) and then a participatory design session with AR technology probes that we designed to inspire their exploration. Our findings revealed insights into the possible ways of intergenerational storytelling, the feasibility and usages of AR in facilitating it, and the key design implications for leveraging AR in intergenerational storytelling.