Keeping IT in the family

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When most people think of quality family time, visions of the family gathered around a PC are perhaps not the first thing that springs to mind. For 99 lucky families around Asia-Pacific however, quality family time has taken on a technological twist with a new programme that has provided them with a range of free technology, designed to enhance everyday living.

Entitled '99 Families', the competition selected winning families in New Zealand, China, Korea, South East Asia and Taiwan to receive a range of free HP products such as digital cameras, printers and scanners.

The successful families — called 'Smart Families' — agreed to provide HP with valuable feedback on how they used and responded to the technology and how it benefited their daily lives. Working collaboratively with customers to obtain such detailed feedback is fundamental to HP's ongoing commitment to ensure an unbeatable customer experience.

Over the four-month period, Smart Families shared their technology experiences with HP and the wider public through media and on the web, with regular updates to track their progress.

The families' feedback demonstrated an incredible uptake in the use of technology to enhance many elements of family life. Keeping in touch with overseas family members, producing family videos and photo albums, homework, research, card making, Internet use and planning family holidays and outings, were just some of the many daily tasks for which the 99 families used their new technology.

'This has been a fantastic opportunity for HP to learn how different families use and respond to technology in different ways,' said Jennifer Rutherford, General Manager Imaging and Printing Group, HP New Zealand.

'We wanted to show that technology is accessible to everyone — regardless of age, gender, skill level, socio-economic background, lifestyle and culture,' she said.

Thousands of families throughout Asia-Pacific registered to be part of the '99 Families' programme, which saw successful families each receive a digital cameral, printer and scanner. Some selected families also received an additional bonus of a PC or notebook, in addition to Internet access and training and support from HP to demonstrate how the products work together.

Nowhere has the benefits of the programme been felt more than in New Zealand where 33 families were selected to participate in the programme.

According to a study conducted following the conclusion of the four-month program, 93 percent of the families believed that technology had become an increasingly valuable part of their lives.

'After this experience… considering everything the technology has offered us… we quite simply couldn't be without it,' said one participant Sarah Searle.

Building confidence was another key benefit of the programme, with 90 percent of families agreeing that they had become more confident in using technology over the period.

'I certainly feel much more confident about everything now. I can do so much more, it's a great feeling to have come so far,' said participant Jennipha Porter.

In many cases families believed that the technology had become an integral part of their family life and 83 per cent of families were surprised at how much they used the technology provided by HP.

'Many of the families were amazed at how the technology helped them to free up time and improve life balance, giving greater flexibility about where and when they worked or performed other tasks,' said Rutherford.

One family that benefited enormously from the program was the Dyne family, whose son, five-year-old William, has Asperger syndrome. The condition is an autism-like affliction which causes him to live by routine, much like the character in the movie Rainman. For example, if his parents park their car in a different spot when picking him up from school, William becomes extremely agitated.

The causes of William's tantrums are often hard for his parents to discern and relying on verbal cues alone can take weeks to figure out.

William's mum then discovered a better way to help him communicate — not through words but through pictures.

When they became a 'Smart Family' as part of New Zealand's '33 Families' programme, William's family began using their HP digital camera and photo printer to form a photo chart, detailing what his day would entail, something that could be easily updated. Now, William sees his daily schedule in pictures, minimizing his anxieties, making life easier for the whole family.

The real beauty of this innovative programme is the many benefits that it provides for all participants. For the 99 families across Asia-Pacific who now have a digital home solution, the benefits will continue to be felt as the technology is increasingly woven into their daily lives. For HP, the program has provided a valuable insight into the way families use technology and certainly reinforces the company's genuine commitment to put the customer at the centre of everything they do.

'99 Families is a unique campaign as it creates a ripple effect,' said Cassandra Cheong, Public Relations manager, Asia-Pacific and Japan.

'Our engagement with these families doesn't stop after the kick-off. The Smart Families 'adopted' by HP will forever be part of the HP family.'

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