Transcript Groupware
Groupware Howell Istance Groupware Software designed to support group working, not just to facilitate communication CSCW (Computer-Supported Cooperative Work) - field of study which examines the design, adoption, and use of groupware. not restricted to issues of "cooperation" or "work" but also examines competition, socialising, and play. SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Advantages of Groupware Groupware offers significant advantages over single-user systems. to facilitate communication: make it faster, clearer, more persuasive to enable communication where it wouldn't otherwise be possible to enable telecommuting to cut down on travel costs SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems More advantages of Groupware to bring together multiple perspectives and expertise to form groups with common interests where it wouldn't be possible to gather a sufficient number of people face-toface to save time and cost in coordinating group work to facilitate group problem-solving to enable new modes of communication, such as anonymous interchanges or structured interactions SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Classifying Groupware Systems Can be classified by When and where the participants are working The function it performs for cooperative working SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Time/Space Matrix (when/where) Classify groupware according 1) when participants are working at the same time (synchronous) or not (asynchronous) 2) where the participants are working in the same place (co-located) or not (remote) Same time Different time Same place Face-to-face Post-it note conversation Different place telephone SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems letter Functions supported by Groupware Cooperative work involves: Participants (P) who are working Artefacts (A) upon which they work understanding direct communication (Joe) P P Control and feedback A SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems (shared document) (Bob) asynchronous groupware email (computer mediated communication) newsgroups (computer mediated communication) workflow (control of shared objects) group calendars (control of shared objects) collaborative writing (control of shared objects) SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems synchronous groupware shared whiteboards (meeting and decision support) video-conferencing (computer mediated communication) chat (computer mediated communication) decision support (meeting and decision support) games (control of shared objects) SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Computer-mediated communication asynchronous/remote tools asynchronous/co-located argumentation tools (enable recording of arguments for design decisions synchronous/remote email, bulletin boards, structured message systems (email plus some additional fields to enable sorted and filtering), video conferencing meeting and decision support systems synchronous/co-located meeting rooms (electronic support for face-to-face meetings) SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Collaborative Virtual Environments Graphical or text-based environments where several people, remotely located, collaborate on some common activity (work-based or for entertainment) Important to create the illusion of ‘presence’ in the virtual world, to make a person they are ‘in’ the world with other people Worlds can contain shared artefacts or tools to facilitate collaborative working SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems a DIVE model of the atrium at Electrum Between the 2 virtual bodies stands a whiteboard application on which all participants can draw. SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems 3D visualisation of a database in DIVE SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems ActiveWorlds - a web-based collaborative virtual environment SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Greenspace project SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Use of Greenspace CVE for design reviews Review of design of hotel rooms SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems TeamWave SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Tools provided with TeamWave Address Book Calendar Concept Map Database Doorway Fileholder File Viewer SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Image Whiteboard Meeting Roster Message Board Postit Slide Tool To Do List URL Reference Vote Design Issues User Studies Adoption and Acceptance Session Control Floor Control Determining Conversation Structure Customisation Avoiding Abuse Privacy Awareness SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems User studies Important to understand work-related needs of users of any system user group testing is often difficult than for single user systems pre-established groups vary in interaction style, determined by how long someone has been in a group groups are dynamic - roles change within groups testing within organisations difficult as introducing new versions may cause disruption studies often need to be long-term SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Adoption and Acceptance Perceived benefit - if the effort for an individual to use the system is not perceived to justify the benefit gained Interoperability - concerns about compatibility between systems available on the market may inhibit adoption of any one system SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Session Control session - a group of people are in a conversation together at a given time, session control - similar to a person standing at the door of a room checking IDs and deciding who gets to go in. issues include finding out what rooms are available, determining who can enter and exit the room, and when and how. SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Floor Control access each person has to shared artifacts, or conversational functions no control enables simultaneous access by anyone at anytime alternative policies involve some form of ‘turn-taking’ SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Determining Conversation Structure Technology mediated conversation - system determines protocol and structure for exchanges of messages Socially-mediated conversation - how, when and if messages are responded to is left to the individual. SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Customisation Basic conflict between allowing one user to customise their view of information, and then sharing this view with someone else Leads to possibility of confusion and errors customisation through selection of information and emphasis of information presentation of information (e.g.colours) SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Other groupware design issues Avoiding Abuse Privacy ‘spamming ‘ with email is an example some form of ‘payment’ for the use of the system is a possible means to reduce this requires a balance between the need to share some information and keep some information private a mechanism for information hiding necessary Awareness issue of making others aware what an individual is currently doing ‘telepresence’ - feeling of presence of a remotely located person SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems Examples of awareness and privacy issues Unobtrusive telepresence SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems ‘In-your-face’ obtrusive telepresence Can I be disturbed? SOFT3057 - Interactive Systems