Information technology (IT) support of office work has increased rapidly in functionality, but the interaction styles have evolved more slowly. This study explores interaction qualities of IT supported activities in the contexts of home and work. A series of contextual interviews was conducted with six Generation Y office workers. An interview toolkit was used to sensitize them to the subject of interaction qualities, experiences, and demands of future ways of working. This study resulted in a set of design guidelines, aiming to support Generation Y interactions in future office work. Designers and researchers who focus on understanding (rich interactions in) the work context would benefit from the result of this study.

With Generation Y entering the workforce, for the first time IT supported tools at home are more advanced than these tools at work. This project aims to understand and model this friction and its challenges through a sequence of literature review and interviews. We identified six qualities of interactions and how they occur in private and work contexts. Based on these findings, we aim to develop guidelines as well as demonstrators that support Generation Y interactions in future office work.