Closing and closure in human-companion interactions: Analyzing video data from a field study

A field study with a simple robotic companion is being undertaken in three iterations in the framework of a EU FP7 research project. The interest of this study lies in its design: the robotic interface setup is installed in the subjects' homes and video data are collected during ten days. This gives the rare opportunity to study the development of human-robot relationships over time, and the integration of companion technologies into everyday life. This paper outlines the qualitative inductive approach to data analysis, and discusses selected results. The focus here is on the interactional mechanisms of bringing conversations to an end. The paper distinguishes between “closing” as the conversational mechanism for doing this, and “closure” as the social norm that motivates it. We argue that this distinction is relevant for interaction designers insofar as they have to be aware of the compelling social norms that are invoked by a companion's conversational behaviour.