In this paper we present the Resonant Interface Rocking Chair, interactive furniture designed for sparking the imagination of residents in dementia care. We show how the chair, sitting at the intersection of slow technology, reminiscence research and elder care, creates an environment that encourages storytelling, interaction and conversation between care home residents, family and staff. Our aim is to develop the resonant home, envisioning a future care environment that draws upon current research into resonant user interfaces to create an environment that is alive with subtle, playful and engaging interactions that support and stimulate memories and storytelling.

In this paper we present our initial ethnographic work from developing TopoTiles, Tangible User Interfaces designed to aid storytelling, reminiscence and community building in care homes. Our fieldwork has raised a number of questions which we discuss in this paper including: How can landscape tangibles be used as proxy objects, standing in for landscape and objects unavailable to the storyteller? How can tangible interfaces be used in an indirect or peripheral manner to aid storytelling? Can miniature landscapes aid recollection and story telling through embodied interaction? Are ambiguous depictions conducive to storytelling? Can topographic tangibles encourage inclusivity in group sharing situations? In this paper we share our initial findings to these questions and show how they will inform further TopoTiles design work.