Engaging Children Using a Digital Living Media System

Digital living media systems consist of living organisms combined with electronic components and can reflect or represent information to users (e.g., as an ambient display). We have developed, Rafigh, a digital living media system that utilizes the growth rate of a living mushroom colony to reflect users' digital application use. We used Rafigh to study how digital living media systems can 1) motivate children to use therapeutic and/or learning digital applications, and 2) increase communication and collaboration in the home setting. We conducted two in situ case studies with four children and their caregivers which showed that the system successfully motivated two of the children to use target applications and created communication and collaboration in the home setting. Additionally, the two children were not deterred by the slow changes in the system. We discuss the implications for using digital living media systems to engage and motivate children through dynamics of caring and responsibility.