R-001Study2025-03Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen
Childhood Object Attachment Patterns in Urban Households
A longitudinal study examining how children in metropolitan areas form attachments to domestic objects and how these relationships influence their understanding of home.
Over eighteen months, we observed 24 families in their homes, documenting the ways children interact with household objects. We found that attachment patterns have shifted significantly from previous generations—children now form primary attachments to shared family devices rather than personal toys, and their concept of 'home' is increasingly defined by digital rather than physical presence.
childrenattachmentobjectsurbanlongitudinal
With: East China Normal University, Tongji University
R-002Field Notes2025-02Hangzhou
Grandparent-Mediated Play in Multi-Generational Homes
Field notes on the distinctive patterns of play that emerge when grandparents serve as primary caregivers in three-generation households.
In households where grandparents provide daily childcare, we observed unique play patterns that differ from parent-child interactions. Grandparents introduce slower rhythms, more repetitive games, and storytelling that connects children to family history. These interactions create what we term 'temporal bridges'—moments where the pace of modern childhood slows to accommodate intergenerational connection.
grandparentsplaymulti-generationalcaregiving
R-003Study2025-01Multiple cities
Negotiating Boundaries with Domestic AI Assistants
Research on how families establish and maintain boundaries with AI assistants in the home, and the new social dynamics that emerge.
As AI assistants become more sophisticated, families face new challenges in defining their role within household dynamics. Our research documented how 32 families negotiated rules around AI usage, privacy, and the assistant's 'presence' in family conversations. We found significant variation in how families anthropomorphize these systems and the emotional boundaries they establish.
AIboundariesprivacyfamily-dynamics
With: EJIA Research Team
R-004Workshop2024-12Shanghai Museum
Future Family Workshop Series at Shanghai Museum
Documentation from a three-part workshop series exploring how families imagine and design their future domestic environments.
In collaboration with Shanghai Museum, we conducted workshops where families collectively designed their ideal future homes. Participants ranged from young couples to multi-generational households. The resulting designs revealed common anxieties—about space, privacy, connection—as well as surprising optimism about technology's role in strengthening rather than fragmenting family bonds.
workshopmuseumco-designfuture-thinking
With: Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Design Week
R-005Field Notes2024-11Beijing, Shanghai
Rotational Household Patterns in Divorced Families
Observations on how children in joint custody arrangements adapt to multiple domestic environments and develop portable concepts of home.
Children who move between two homes weekly have developed sophisticated strategies for maintaining continuity. We documented the objects they carry between homes, the rituals they use to mark transitions, and the way they construct 'home' as a set of relationships and practices rather than a fixed location. These findings challenge traditional assumptions about the necessity of a single, stable domestic environment.
divorcecustodychildrenadaptationmobility
R-006Research Notes2024-10Hong Kong, Taipei
The Architecture of Silence in Urban Apartments
Research notes on how families create and maintain zones of acoustic privacy within small urban living spaces.
In densely populated urban environments, acoustic privacy is a luxury. We documented the creative strategies families employ—from scheduling quiet hours to creating makeshift sound barriers—to carve out moments of silence. These observations informed our development of the Silence Cushion prototype.
silenceprivacyurbanacousticapartment
