iPillowPal: Exploring affective gesture-based interactive textile design for long-distance relationship couples

People in long-distance relationships (LDR) often experience deprivations of somatosensory interaction for intimate communication. Researchers have used affective gestures to mediate emotional requirements and physical constraints. However, most studies focused on gestures, such as hugs or touches, which may not fully represent the characteristics of gesture-based interactions in LDR. We explore the affective gestures that people perform and develop connections in LDR communication, engagement, and interaction. This research includes three phases: user interview, lab experiment, and field experiment. First, we interviewed LDR couples to investigate their experiences and perceptions of affective gestures. The results revealed that affective gestures varied depending on the scenario and generated specific emotional responses. Then, we selected Poke, Stroke, Pull, and Hug as affective gestures and designed four gesture-based textile interfaces with two interaction modes to encourage LDR couples to participate in embodied interaction and observe what emotional connections and experiences they elicit. Last, we designed iPillowPal, a gesture-based interactive pillow, and had LDR couples use it daily to probe in-situ user experience. Our results show that iPillowPal shortened LDR couples’ emotional distance and improved their emotional state. The findings contribute to the understanding of mediated affective gesture-based interaction and interactive textile design for LDR interaction.