  We present the Telepresence Lantern concept, developed to provide
opportunities for older adults to stay in contact with remote family and
friends. It provides a new approach to video-mediated communication, designed
to facilitate natural and ambient interactions with simplified call setup.
Video communication is an established way to enhance social connectedness, but
traditional approaches create a high friction to frequent connection due to,
for example, technological barriers. Through interactive sessions with older
adult users, we created design and function prototypes to suit their needs and
preferences. The main features of our design are a curved, wide field-of-view
screen and corresponding camera and sound setup, and the affordance to easily
move the device from room-to-room. An interactive user session with a fully
functional prototype validated the potential of this concept for improving
communication among older adults and their families.
