There is a long history of labour saving technologies in the home to reduce the amount of effort exerted on household chores. However research shows that much of the labour performed in the home is cognitive and emotional and is often hidden from society and also from the design of technologies. This type of work is referred to as family management labour.
Whilst existing psychology research has explored these forms of mental labour, there is very little research that links mental labour management and technology in this context as HCI research to understand the role of technology in managing mental labour has usually focussed on paid work rather than work carried out in the home.
The aim of this project is to investigate the mental labours experienced by family managers in the home. We aim to both broaden the understanding of these labours and explore the potential of technology interventions to support this often hidden type of labour.
People
This project is being delivered by Sarah Frampton under the supervision of Prof Anna Cox and Dr Sandy Gould.
