The Lifecycle of a Whiteboard Photo: Post-meeting Usage of Whiteboard Content Captured with Mobile Devices

The traditional dry-erase whiteboard is a ubiquitous tool in the workplace, particularly in meeting spaces where they are a key collaboration tool. Although research on whiteboard use and the development of whiteboard systems have been a staple in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) literature, there is a lack of how whiteboard content is used to direct actions outside the meeting. In today’s mobile-centric world, knowledge workers capture whiteboard content after a meeting by taking photos of them with mobile devices such as cellphones. This thesis empirically investigated post-meeting practices with whiteboard photos to explore how these practices might be better supported by technology. In particular, this thesis investigated the main post-meeting activities that whiteboard photos support, how people value whiteboard photos, and how they manage them. Nineteen knowledge workers from a variety of professions, companies, and industries across North America who were regular users of whiteboards were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. A Thematic Analysis of the data revealed that whiteboard photos were primarily used to create superseding documents and were sometimes used as evidence of agreement. Whiteboard photos were used mostly in the short-term, and their value was transient. Also, an analysis of the minute detailed actions that interviewees reported taking with one or two recent whiteboard photos revealed that the typical lifecycle of those whiteboard photos involved a seven-stage lifecycle. Moreover, a memory recall task with six of the interviewees about previous meetings where a whiteboard was used revealed that general characteristics of those meetings were well remembered while characteristics about the whiteboard content were not well remembered. The findings suggested a set of unmet design needs for the development of improved mobile-centric whiteboard capture systems. The suggested design implications include the need for a mobile application that supports quick capture and the effortless transfer of whiteboard photos to productivity-oriented devices, and the need for a desktop application that supports the extraction of whiteboard content to aid users in creating superseding documents

A systematic technology evaluation and selection method for computer-supported collaborative design

Design is a global activity. It requires collaboration between individuals across borders and beyond barriers. Modern global design is achieved using computer technologies that support many activities of a design process. However, merely supporting design does not guarantee that it is a successful endeavour. The requirements of computer-supported collaborative design are abstract. They are influenced by human-to-human interaction and/or human to computer interaction. As our society moves towards faster communication technologies and a higher number of collaborative technologies available, the need to evaluate the available tools and select the best tool at the appropriate time of the design process is becoming more compelling. If the best tools are not identified, there are missed opportunities for productivity, impacting team communication, cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. Student designers at University have experienced an observable change in technology use within their personal and academic lives. The proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies and the spread of social media, social network sites and mobile technologies have impacted how students socialise and engage in group project work. However, it is unclear if these technologies support or hinder the design process. This behaviour change has led to a motivation to understand the use of technologies to support Computer-Supported Collaborative Design teamwork. This research intended to support Computer-Supported Collaborative Design teamwork by defining the requirements of Computer-Supported Collaborative Design, the technologies which can be used to support Computer-Supported Collaborative Design, the technology functionalities which these technologies feature, and to use this knowledge to systematically evaluate and select the appropriate technology to use for any given collaborative situation. The outcomes of this research documented within this thesis became the development of a systematic and automated method to allow engineering design teams to evaluate technologies based on the existing knowledge of the requirements of Computer Supported Collaborative Design and select which technologies would best support their group design activities. This technology evaluation and selection method was achieved by the creation of the Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix, a tool which enables the evaluation of technologies against Computer-Supported Collaborative Design requirements; the creation of an auto-population method for the tool supporting consistency and efficiency of using the method; and the development of an education programme to ensure the correct use of the Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix. The Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix can be used to support the assessment and selection of technology for use in Computer-Supported Collaborative Design projects by engineering design teams in an educational environment. The tool has been evaluated through demonstration of use for a class and implementation within a class environment. Beyond the Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix as a tool, a robust and systematic method of creating the tool has been documented, which is the first step towards broader use of the tool.Design is a global activity. It requires collaboration between individuals across borders and beyond barriers. Modern global design is achieved using computer technologies that support many activities of a design process. However, merely supporting design does not guarantee that it is a successful endeavour. The requirements of computer-supported collaborative design are abstract. They are influenced by human-to-human interaction and/or human to computer interaction. As our society moves towards faster communication technologies and a higher number of collaborative technologies available, the need to evaluate the available tools and select the best tool at the appropriate time of the design process is becoming more compelling. If the best tools are not identified, there are missed opportunities for productivity, impacting team communication, cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. Student designers at University have experienced an observable change in technology use within their personal and academic lives. The proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies and the spread of social media, social network sites and mobile technologies have impacted how students socialise and engage in group project work. However, it is unclear if these technologies support or hinder the design process. This behaviour change has led to a motivation to understand the use of technologies to support Computer-Supported Collaborative Design teamwork. This research intended to support Computer-Supported Collaborative Design teamwork by defining the requirements of Computer-Supported Collaborative Design, the technologies which can be used to support Computer-Supported Collaborative Design, the technology functionalities which these technologies feature, and to use this knowledge to systematically evaluate and select the appropriate technology to use for any given collaborative situation. The outcomes of this research documented within this thesis became the development of a systematic and automated method to allow engineering design teams to evaluate technologies based on the existing knowledge of the requirements of Computer Supported Collaborative Design and select which technologies would best support their group design activities. This technology evaluation and selection method was achieved by the creation of the Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix, a tool which enables the evaluation of technologies against Computer-Supported Collaborative Design requirements; the creation of an auto-population method for the tool supporting consistency and efficiency of using the method; and the development of an education programme to ensure the correct use of the Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix. The Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix can be used to support the assessment and selection of technology for use in Computer-Supported Collaborative Design projects by engineering design teams in an educational environment. The tool has been evaluated through demonstration of use for a class and implementation within a class environment. Beyond the Computer-Supported Collaborative Design matrix as a tool, a robust and systematic method of creating the tool has been documented, which is the first step towards broader use of the tool

Software Engineering Taxonomy of Team Processes: A Completeness and Usefulness Validation

RÉSUMÉ Objectif: Délibérer les études sur le travail d'équipe en génie logiciel (GL) et trouver un moyen de mieux comprendre la dynamique des équipes dans le domaine. Contexte: Plusieurs cadres et modèles théoriques ont été présentés dans la littérature sur le travail en équipe: des cadres généraux, des cadres spécifiques de travail et des modèles pour des fonctions spécifiques. Stratégie: Étude sur les équipes et l'équipe de travail dans la littérature du génie logiciel. Étude sur la programmation en paire (PP) comme un échantillon du travail en équipe en GL. Développement d'un processus itératif revu systématique de la littérature (iSR), utilisé comme un outil de recherche pour la collecte et la synthèse des données de la littérature. Méthodologie: Une revue systématique de la littérature sur le travail en équipe en GL et sur la programmation en paires est effectuée. Les résultats de l'examen de la littérature sont utilisés pour une validation d'une taxonomie de GL des processus d'équipe. Résultats: La taxonomie de GL des processus d'équipe est un outil approprié pour la présentation des observations des pratiques d'équipe dans le domaine du GL. Conclusion: Selon la méthodologie et les articles soumis, la taxonomie de GL des processus d'équipe a été validée. Les variables contextuelles des pratiques de PP ont également été identifiées et Le processus ISR a été jugée utile pour les novices. Application: La taxonomie de GL est un outil qui peut être utilisé par les chercheurs ainsi que les gestionnaires de projets logiciels pour identifier et signaler tout type d'interactions observées dans les équipes et pour améliorer les performances de la gestion des équipes.----------ABSTRACT Objective: To deliberate the studies on teamwork in Software Engineering (SE) and to find a way to better understand team dynamics in the SE domain. Background: Several theoretical frameworks and models have been presented in the teamwork literature: general frameworks, task specific frameworks and function-specific models. Strategy: Study on teams and team working in the software engineering literature. Study on pair programming as a sample practice of teamwork. Development of an iterative systematic literature review (iSR) process used as a research tool for gathering and synthesizing data from the literature. Methodology: A systematic literature review on team working in SE and on pair programming is performed. The literature review results are used for an evaluation of current team working practices (namely PP practices) and for the validation of the SE taxonomy of team processes. Results: The SE taxonomy of team processes is an appropriate tool for the report of observations in teamwork practices in the SE domain. Conclusion: According to the employed methodology and submitted articles, the software engineering taxonomy of team processes was validated. The contextual variables of PP practice were also identified. The iSR process was found to be useful for novices. Application: The SE taxonomy is a tool which can be used by researchers as well as software project managers for identifying and reporting any kind of observed teamwork interactions. Report and analysis of team activities could improve team management performance

Abstraction, Visualization, and Evolution of Process Models

The increasing adoption of process orientation in companies and organizations has resulted in large process model collections. Each process model of such a collection may comprise dozens or hundreds of elements and captures various perspectives of a business process, i.e., organizational, functional, control, resource, or data perspective. Domain experts having only limited process modeling knowledge, however, hardly comprehend such large and complex process models. Therefore, they demand for a customized (i.e., personalized) view on business processes enabling them to optimize and evolve process models effectively. This thesis contributes the proView framework to systematically create and update process views (i.e., abstractions) on process models and business processes respectively. More precisely, process views abstract large process models by hiding or combining process information. As a result, they provide an abstracted, but personalized representation of process information to domain experts. In particular, updates of a process view are supported, which are then propagated to the related process model as well as associated process views. Thereby, up-to-dateness and consistency of all process views defined on any process model can be always ensured. Finally, proView preserves the behaviour and correctness of a process model. Process abstractions realized by views are still not sufficient to assist domain experts in comprehending and evolving process models. Thus, additional process visualizations are introduced that provide text-based, form-based, and hierarchical representations of process models. Particularly, these process visualizations allow for view-based process abstractions and updates as well. Finally, process interaction concepts are introduced enabling domain experts to create and evolve process models on touch-enabled devices. This facilitates the documentation of process models in workshops or while interviewing process participants at their workplace. Altogether, proView enables domain experts to interact with large and complex process models as well as to evolve them over time, based on process model abstractions, additional process visualizations, and process interaction concepts. The framework is implemented in a proof-ofconcept prototype and validated through experiments and case studies

Mobile Pen and Paper Interaction

Although smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices become increasingly popular, pen and paper continue to play an important role in mobile settings, such as note taking or creative discussions. However, information on paper documents remains static and usage practices involving sharing, researching, linking or in any other way digitally processing information on paper are hindered by the gap between the digital and physical worlds. A considerable body of research has leveraged digital pen technology in order to overcome this problem with respect to static settings, however, systematically neglecting the mobile domain. Only recently, several approaches began exploring the mobile domain and developing initial insights into mobile pen-and-paper interaction (mPPI), e.g., to publish digital sketches, [Cowan et al., 2011], link paper and digital artifacts, [Pietrzak et al., 2012] or compose music, [Tsandilas, 2012]. However, applications designed to integrate the most common mobile tools pen, paper and mobile devices, thereby combining the benefits of both worlds in a hybrid mPPI ensemble, are hindered by the lack of supporting infrastructures and limited theoretical understanding of interaction design in the domain. This thesis advances the field by contributing a novel infrastructural approach toward supporting mPPI. It allows applications employing digital pen technology in controlling interactive functionality while preserving mobile characteristics of pen and paper. In addition, it contributes a conceptual framework of user interaction in the domain suiting to serve as basis for novel mPPI toolkits. Such toolkits ease development of mPPI solutions by focusing on expressing interaction rather than designing user interfaces by means of rigid widget sets. As such, they provide the link between infrastructure and interaction in the domain. Lastly, this thesis presents a novel, empirically substantiated theory of interaction in hybrid mPPI ensembles. This theory informs interaction design of mPPI, ultimately allowing to develop compelling and engaging interactive systems employing this modality

Collaborative distance: investigating issues related to distance factors affecting collaboration performance

Both organisations and individuals are using more collaborative work, across geographic, disciplinary and organisational boundaries, leading to increased demand for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to support a more effective and efficient distributed collaboration. This thesis presents an empirical study exploring various aspects related to collaborative distance in the context of innovation projects. It focuses on the investigation of issues related to distance factors that affect collaboration effectiveness and efficiency. A total of 14 focus group interviews, undertaken with 75 participants in a comparative study of 14 project cases, revealed sufficient evidence on distance factors in the context of mixed (face-to-face and online or virtual) collocation modes. The results confirmed the positive role of collaboration technology for compressing geographical and temporal types of distance; other distance types were also bridged, however, other distance types were created. This empirical study aims to enlarge the academic understanding of distance factors by disambiguating their description and deciphering their role in the collaboration process, and clarifying the reasons for the use and improvement of collaboration technology for overcoming collaborative distances. It also confirms that distance factors raise collaboration barriers, and reveals that they disturb the collaboration mechanics by hindering knowledge workers’ capacity to reach a mutual understanding. Such findings have deep implications for the future enhancement of collaboration technology to fill the current gaps in distributed collaboration, also called e-Collaboration

Towards self-optimizing frameworks for collaborative systems

Two important performance metrics in collaborative systems are local and remote response times. For certain classes of applications, it is possible to meet response time requirements better than existing systems through a new system without requiring hardware, network, or user-interface changes. This self-optimizing system improves response times by automatically making runtime adjustments to three aspects of a collaborative application. One of these aspects is the collaboration architecture. Previous work has shown that dynamically switching architectures at runtime can improve response times; however, no previous work performs the switch automatically. The thesis shows that (a) another important performance parameter is whether multicast or unicast is used to transmit commands, and (b) response times can be noticeably better with multicast than with unicast when transmission costs are high. Traditional architectures, however, support only unicast - a computer that processes input commands must also transmit commands to all other computers. To support multicast, a new bi-architecture model of collaborative systems is introduced in which two separate architectures govern the processing and transmission tasks that each computer must perform. The thesis also shows that another important performance aspect is the order in which a computer performs these tasks. These tasks can be scheduled sequentially or concurrently on a single-core, or in parallel on multiple cores. As the thesis shows, existing single-core policies trade-off noticeable improvements in local (remote) for noticeable degradations in remote (local) response times. A new lazy policy for scheduling these tasks on a single-core is introduced that trades-off an unnoticeable degradation in performance of some users for a much larger noticeable improvement in performance of others. The thesis also shows that on multi-core devices, the tasks should always be scheduled on separate cores. The self-optimizing system adjusts the processing architecture, communication architecture, and scheduling policy based on response time predictions given by a new analytical model. Both the analytical model and the self-optimizing system are validated through simulations and experiments in practical scenarios

Collaborative distance: investigating issues related to distance factors affecting collaboration performance

Both organisations and individuals are using more collaborative work, across geographic, disciplinary and organisational boundaries, leading to increased demand for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to support a more effective and efficient distributed collaboration. This thesis presents an empirical study exploring various aspects related to collaborative distance in the context of innovation projects. It focuses on the investigation of issues related to distance factors that affect collaboration effectiveness and efficiency. A total of 14 focus group interviews, undertaken with 75 participants in a comparative study of 14 project cases, revealed sufficient evidence on distance factors in the context of mixed (face-to-face and online or virtual) collocation modes. The results confirmed the positive role of collaboration technology for compressing geographical and temporal types of distance; other distance types were also bridged, however, other distance types were created. This empirical study aims to enlarge the academic understanding of distance factors by disambiguating their description and deciphering their role in the collaboration process, and clarifying the reasons for the use and improvement of collaboration technology for overcoming collaborative distances. It also confirms that distance factors raise collaboration barriers, and reveals that they disturb the collaboration mechanics by hindering knowledge workers’ capacity to reach a mutual understanding. Such findings have deep implications for the future enhancement of collaboration technology to fill the current gaps in distributed collaboration, also called e-Collaboration

Augmenting Learning Activities with Contextual Information Scent

Students often have information needs while carrying out a multitude of learning activities at universities. When information is needed for investigating a problem, the student may interrupt the work and switch to an information seeking task. As Internet connectivity becomes ubiquitous, searching information has been routinized and integrated in the learning experience. However, information needs are not always fully recognized, or they can not be well articulated. A MOOC student may perceive a video to be difficult, but fails to express what information can be helpful. Sometimes it is improper to interrupt the learning task for searching information, especially when social factors are concerned, e.g. in a seminar talk. These situations create research potentials for making ambient information cues, hereafter referred to as contextual information scent (CIS), available to address students' situational information needs in learning activities. The CIS is designed to combine context-awareness with information seeking, ambient interaction as well as serendipitous encounter. In this thesis, we investigate the CIS mainly in collaborative learning activities. We explore three different contexts: conversation, groupware interaction and video content for MOOC learning. RaindropSearch investigates capturing conversational words as CIS for building search queries, while the TileSearch triggers Web searches based on group discussions and retrieved image and Wikipedia results as CIS for serendipitous interactions. These two explorations both focus on conversation context and provide initial insights into the CIS design practice. Next, we present MeetHub Search, which includes three CIS components based on text interactions in a groupware. Our last prototype, the BOOC Player employs textbook pages as CIS and links them to MOOC videos during the course of collaborative video viewing. All prototypes show how we manipulated design parameters to reduce distraction, increase relevance and ensure timeliness. The studies also exhibit the influence of group dynamics on the use of CIS. We finally extend our research scope to individual MOOC learning and summarize the design insights obtained from MOOC analytics. The contributions of this thesis are summarized as (1) a dedicated research framework derived from both research literature and requirement analysis for recognizing the design challenges, design principles and design space of CIS. The framework lays the foundation for us to explore different contexts in this thesis, where we generated (2) design implications that identify the key attributes of CIS. Last but not least, we employed (3) a variety of evaluation methodologies in this thesis for assessing the usability as well as the benefit and appeal of CIS