A number of couples in long-distance relationships were given a virtual intimate object (VIO), which displays a small circle in the Windows taskbar. When one person clicks on the circle, his or her partner's circle glows bright red. Over time, the circle fades to blue, unless the partner clicks again. Though they continued to use cell phones, e-mail and instant messaging, the subjects became surprisingly attached to, and concerned about, these little signs of intimacy, says Kaye. On average, the subjects used their VIOs 35 times a day, and 70% reported that it made them feel closer to their partners. A number of them continued to use their VIOs after the experiment ended.

While they couldn't really tell from the circles just what their partners were doing or thinking, they interpreted each click as a "gift," Kaye says. The richness of the experience reported by participants stemmed directly from the VIO's simplicity and ambiguity, which invited active interpretation, he says.

"A lot of computer technology is about efficiency and maximizing the amount of stuff you can do," says Kaye. "But we are saying maybe that's not the way to do it; maybe you want an opportunity for richness and interpretation."

Ambiguity goes to the office

Other researchers at Cornell are working on displays intended to give workers a sense of the emotional climates in their offices. A prototype combined input from sound sensors around the workspace with a daily survey of workers -- "How are you feeling today?" -- to produce distortions in an animated image based on a painting by Joan Miro displayed on a big screen. A red oval on the image changed position and size, as did several dots, in ways that users found difficult to interpret.