  As an increasing number of interactive devices offer human-like assistance,
there is a growing need to understand the human experience of interactive
agents. When interactive artefacts with human-like features become intertwined
in our everyday experience, we need to make sure that they assume the right
roles and contribute to our wellbeing. In this theoretical exploration, we
propose a reframing of our understanding of interactions with everyday
technologies by proposing the metaphor of digital companions. We employ the
theory in the philosophy of empathy to propose a framework for understanding
how users develop relationships with digital agents. The experiential framework
for companion technologies provides connections between the users'
psychological needs and companion-like features of interactive systems. Our
work provides a theoretical basis for rethinking the user experience of
everyday artefacts with a humanistic mindset and poses future challenges for
HCI.
