Embracing Companion Technologies

Abstract

As an increasing number of interactive devices offer human-like assistance, there is a growing need to understand our experience of interactive agents. When interactive artefacts become intertwined in our everyday experience, we need to make sure that they assume the right roles and contribute to our wellbeing. In this theoretical exploration, we propose a reframing of our understanding of the experience of interactions with everyday technologies by proposing the metaphor of companion technologies. We employ theory in the philosophy of empathy to propose a framework for understanding how users develop relationships with digital agents. The experiential framework for companion technologies provides connections between the users' psychological needs and companion features of interactive systems. Our work provides a theoretical basis for rethinking the user experience of everyday artefacts with an empathy-oriented mindset and poses future challenges for HCI.