Home networking
Recently, researchers in HCI and CSCW have taken interest in the usability,technical, and social issues
associated with networked computing in homes. Two issues motivate the empirical studies among this body of work. First, growing evidence suggests that
householders have
difficulties setting up and maintaining home networks. Second, we know little about the ways householders appropriate and integrate new digital technologies into their daily routines.
Research on technical aspects of home networks has likewise focused largely on attempts at redressing the usability challenges of networking and on design explorations intended to reveal opportunities for new domestic technologies. Studies of user experience challenges largely consist of qualitative inquiries (often supported by instruments such as sketching exercises or home tours), and have overwhelmingly found that householders have difficulties with network setup and maintenance tasks.
In perhaps the earliest example of this genre,Kiesler et al. (2000) examined why and how people sought technical support for computer- and Internet-related problems. Their study suggested that those who called for outside professional support were often the most technically 278 Erika Shehan Poole, W. Keith Edwards and Lawrence Jarvis sophisticated in their households; it is unclear whether these findings are true today. In contrast, Grinter et al. (2005) describe the difficulties faced by householders coordinating with one another to manage the home network.
In their study, one householder typically took the role of “reluctant administrator” to manage the home IT infrastructure. Others in the home—mere “consumers” of the technology—were disempowered when the network malfunctioned, and were likely to call for outside help.