5. Bridging Contextual Gaps with Blended Reality Spaces

The major barrier to easily used and understood interactive technology is often a contextual reality gap between users and designers, and between different classes of user. In this chapter we discuss the importance of context in understanding communications and provide examples of problems arising from a lack of shared context. We then outline the potential of blended reality spaces to bridge contextual reality gaps between the physical world and the virtual and so provide a shared space for presence, communication and action. As long as we can act in the physical world, we can enact intentions related to the virtual – if the blended space is successfully designed. We go on to suggest that, through human-experiential design, the blended reality approach can be extended to a range of application areas, including health care and rehabilitation.