PlateMate: Structured Guidance Design in Relatedness Technology for Remote Joint Activity

Abstract

Maintaining remote intimate relationships is essential for emotional well-being. However, remote partners often face challenges such as schedule conflicts or unequal kinkeeping responsibility when engaging in joint activities. Current relatedness technology designs require high synchronization or place the burden of initiation on one party, limiting long-term engagement. In this study, we explore how structured guidance can address these challenges. We present PlateMate, a game that combines joint cooking activities with prompts from a shared virtual pet, Kinny, to sustain balanced participation and a sense of togetherness. We conducted a twoweek user study with 14 participants to examine the effectiveness of the mechanism across various aspects. Our early findings highlight design opportunities for relatedness technologies that support remote joint activities to improve engagement through structured guidance, turn everyday events into shared rituals, spark ongoing dialogue beyond the activity, and enrich prompt design to sustain long-term use.