ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the research results from the analysis of communication needs in distributed families, and then goes on to examine how they transformed the new knowledge to applications designed to meet these identified needs. Through the creation of the Flexible Room they wanted to develop demonstrators that would serve as examples of new services that can fulfil the needs of distributed families for communication and flexible dwellings. Distributed families are those in which family members live in different households or where some family members spend time outside the home. The Home of the Future laboratory, in conjunction with the dissemination of the research results as demonstrators, also served to attract potential external partners. The age of the children is significant with regards to mediated communication. Younger children may be uncomfortable with the disturbance that a calling parent may constitute and withdraw from communication because their mind is occupied with other activities.
