The purpose of this study was to create spontaneous online
interactions and a sense of togetherness in a friend group of six
friends during the COVID-19 Pandemic, where social interactions
have mostly been moved to online environments. The approach
of this study has been research through design, using an
exploratory prototype to investigate how to initiate a conversation
through an ambient display. The deployment period lasted for one
month, and data was gathered through interviews, diaries and data
logging of the prototype. The exploratory prototype, Connection
Crystals, created more online interactions in the friend group and
created a shift in who initiated the interactions. Furthermore, the
online interactions created using the prototype were mainly voice
communication, whereas they would usually use text before the
deployment. The prototype helped people who self-identified as
shy and introverted to initiate spontaneous online interactions.
The participants perceived the prototype as not disruptive as it
operated sufficiently in the background during working hours.