@michael: i think laptops are becoming more and more of a commonplace object in the kitchen nowadays so it’s not asking too much to bring it in. i remember reading on Apartment Therapy’s Kitchn sub-site that many experienced cooks actually consider laptops an indispensable kitchen tool, and have abandoned cookbooks altogether. I think one person wraps hers in Saran wrap to prevent meltdowns, but my sense is that people generally agree the rewards outweigh the risks.

@david: the environment is a huge issue, especially given the small size of many kitchens and the large size of many laptops. it’s also something i have little-to-no control over, alas. i wonder if a simple way to still ‘design’ the environment is just to offer tips for a better experience, or have a “dressing room” screen to make people more conscientious of where their laptop is placed. people from earlier prototypes did not realize that they should place their laptop somewhere that affords everyone else a good view of their entire kitchen, not just their faces, so the experience was not as good. a “dressing room” screen (like Google+ Hangouts’ “check your hair” screen) could help prevent that.

Anything that is awkward, stutters, or otherwise breaks the illusion can disrupt the experience. With that in mind, I would also pay very close attention to where the camera is mounted and focused, how the screen is positioned etc. You’ve obviously come a long way in prototyping the technology. Now I think we can also start to focus on prototyping the environment in which the technology will be deployed.

I do see one barrier in the photos above: how do you prevent water/oil/foodstuff from getting on your laptop? Do you count on users adding to their list of chores, wiping down their laptop whilst washing dishes?

@Chris, I wonder if Tina needs any conceptual/theoretical/bigger-picture-type backbone to her work. If you had asked me at the beginning of the year, what is the goal of an MFA thesis? I would have unequivocally stated: to contribute to the domain and advance the field. However, part of our DNA, by way of co-chair Steven Heller, is the idea of “Design-as-entrepreneur”; Tina is living up to this mantra in its most unadulterated form. On the other hand, my work is on the other end of the spectrum—there is nothing entrepreneurial about designing futurescapes.

I do think you’re onto something; Tina, is there something more to the service beyond the web site?

Congratulations on the progress you’ve made so far and being able to kill your darling.

Please clarify for me, if you end up using iChat or another video chat service, will you have to run your interface separately along side of it? Will the interface for instructions/ingredients communicate between the participants what step they’re currently on or some other info? Namely what will your service provide beyond 2 people cooking remotely and using iChat to see/hear each other?

Also, as I briefly brought up today, what is the bigger picture of your thesis? You have a very well-defined problem and you not only know what the solution is, but you started building it, What can you explore beyond cooking? Will this innovate communication in general? Is there a way or a plan or even a desire to monetize this service? How will people become aware of it? What are the touchpoints for its participants? Who could you partner with to build it or scale it? (yes, our service design meeting this morning is still fresh in my head!)

If you’ve gotten this far already, I’m looking forward to what you’ll have in May.

–Chris