Groupware design : principles, prototypes, and systems

Computers are valuable tools for a wide range of work tasks. A substantial limitation on their value, however, is the predominant focus on enhancing the work of individuals. This fails to account for the issues of collaboration that affect almost all work. Research into computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) aims to eliminate this deficiency, but the promise of computer systems for group work has not been met. This thesis presents four design principles that promote the development of successful groupware. The principles identify the particular problems encountered by groupware, and provide guidelines and strategies to avoid, overcome, or minimise their impact. Derived from several sources, the major influence on the principles development is an investigation into the relationship between factors affecting groupware failure. They are stimulated by observations of groupware use, and by design insights arising from the development of two groupware applications and their prototypes: Mona and TELEFREEK. Mona provides conversation-based email management. Several groupware applications allow similar functionality, but the design principles result in Mona using different mechanisms to achieve its user-support. TELEFREEK provides a platform for accessing computer-supported communication and collaboration facilities. It attends to the problems of initiating interaction, and supports an adaptable and extendible set of "social awareness" assistants. TELEFREEK offers a broader range of facilities than other groupware, and avoids the use of prohibitively high-bandwidth communication networks. TELEFREEK demonstrates that much can be achieved through current and widely accessible technology. Together, Mona and TELEFREEK forcefully demonstrate the use of the design principles, and substantiate the claim of their utility

An investigation into a distributed virtual reality environment for real-time collaborative 4D construction planning and simulation

The use and application of 4 Dimensional Computer Aided Design (4D CAD) is growing within the construction industry. 4D approaches have been the focus of many research efforts within the last decade and several commercial tools now exist for the creation of construction simulations using 4D approaches. However, there are several key limitations to the current approaches. For example, 4D models are normally developed after the initial planning of a project has taken place using more traditional techniques such as Critical Path Method (CPM). Furthermore, mainstream methodologies for planning are based on individual facets of the construction process developed by discrete contractors or sub-contractors. Any 4D models generated from these data are often used to verify work flows and identify problems that may arise, either in terms of work methods or sequencing issues. Subsequently, it is perceived that current 4D CAD approaches provide a planning review mechanism rather than a platform for a novel integrated approach to construction planning. The work undertaken in this study seeks to address these issues through the application of a distributed virtual reality (VR) environment for collaborative 4D based construction planning. The key advances lie in catering for geographically dispersed planning by discrete construction teams. By leveraging networked 4D-VR based technologies, multidisciplinary planners, in different places, can be connected to collaboratively perform planning and create an integrated and robust construction schedule leading to a complete 4D CAD simulation. Establishing such a complex environment faces both technological and social challenges. Technological challenges arise from the integration of traditional and recent 4D approaches for construction planning with an ad hoc application platform of VR linked through networked computing. Social challenges arise from social dynamics and human behaviours when utilizing VR-based applications for collaborative work. An appropriate 4D-based planning method in a networked VR based environment is the key to gaining a technical advancement and this approach to distributed collaborative planning tends to promote computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW). Subsequently, probing suitable CSCW design and user interface/interaction (UI) design are imperative for solutions to achieve successful applicability. Based on the foregoing, this study developed a novel robust 4D planning approach for networked construction planning. The new method of interactive definition was devised through theoretical analysis of human-computer interaction (HCI) studies, a comparison of existing 4D CAD creation, and 3D model based construction planning. It was created to support not only individual planners’ work but multidisciplinary planners’ collaboration, and lead to interactive and dynamic development of a 4D simulation. From a social perspective, the method clarified and highlighted relevant CSCW design to enhance collaboration. Applying this rationale, the study specified and implemented a distributed groupware solution for collaborative 4D construction planning. Based on a developed system architecture, application mode and dataflow, as well as a real-time data exchange protocol, a prototype system entitled ‘4DX’ was implemented which provides a platform for distributed multidisciplinary planners to perform real-time collaborative 4D construction planning. The implemented toolkit targeted a semi-immersive VR platform for enhanced usability with compatibility of desktop VR. For the purpose of obtaining optimal UI design of this kind of VR solution, the research implemented a new user-centred design (UCD) framework of Taguchi-Compliant User-Centred Design (TC-UCD) by adapting and adopting the Taguchi philosophy and current UCD framework. As a result, a series of UIs of the VR-based solution for multifactor usability evaluation and optimization were developed leading to a VR-based solution with optimal UIs. The final distributed VR solution was validated in a truly geographically dispersed condition. Findings from the verification testing, the validation, and the feedback from construction professionals proved positive in addition to providing constructive suggestions to further reinforce the applicability of the approach in the future.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Designing an End User Participation and Involvement Assistant for Continuous IS Development

The nature of information system provision has changed as the business models of software firms are continually changing towards software-as-a service and platform-as-a-service solutions. Involving end users in a continuous development of such information systems promises to increase the overall system’s success. The conceptualization and actual realization of the user involvement concept is subject of ongoing research. Based on a systematic literature review, we identified three implications of this research that are relevant for the development of an information technology based assistant for user participation and involvement. In this paper, we introduce our Design Science Research project on the theory grounded design of a user participation and involvement assistant. We aim to enable end users to provide meaningful feedback to the developers during their actual system use. Moreover, the assistant will enable developers to effectively analyze the vast amount of complex end user feedback

Evaluation Strategies for HCI Toolkit Research

Toolkit research plays an important role in the field of HCI, as it can heavily influence both the design and implementation of interactive systems. For publication, the HCI community typically expects toolkit research to include an evaluation component. The problem is that toolkit evaluation is challenging, as it is often unclear what ‘evaluating’ a toolkit means and what methods are appropriate. To address this problem, we analyzed 68 published toolkit papers. From our analysis, we provide an overview of, reflection on, and discussion of evaluation methods for toolkit contributions. We identify and discuss the value of four toolkit evaluation strategies, including the associated techniques that each employs. We offer a categorization of evaluation strategies for toolkit researchers, along with a discussion of the value, potential limitations, and trade-offs associated with each strategy

Investigations of collaborative design environments: A framework for real-time collaborative 3D CAD

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This research investigates computer-based collaborative design environments, in particular issues of real-time collaborative 3D CAD. The thesis first presents a broad perspective of collaborative design environments with a preliminary case study of team design activities in a conventional and a computer mediated setting. This study identifies the impact and the feasibility of computer support for collaborative design and suggests four kinds of essential technologies for a successful collaborative design environment: information-sharing systems, synchronous and asynchronous co- working tools, project management systems, and communication systems. A new conceptual framework for a real-time collaborative 3D design tool, Shared Stage, is proposed based upon the preliminary study. The Shared Stage is defined as a shared 3D design workspace aiming to smoothly incorporate shared 3D workspaces into existing individual 3D workspaces. The addition of a Shared Stage allows collaborating designers to interact in real-time and to have a dynamic and interactive exchange of intermediate 3D design data. The acceptability of collaborative features is maximised by maintaining consistency of the user interface between 3D CAD systems. The framework is subsequently implemented as a software prototype using a new software development environment, customised by integrating related real-time and 3D graphic software development tools. Two main components of the Shared Stage module in the prototype, the Synchronised Stage View (SSV) and the Data Structure Diagram (DSD), provide essential collaborative features for real-time collaborative 3D CAD. These features include synchronised shared 3D representation, dynamic data exchange and awareness support in 3D workspaces. The software prototype is subsequently evaluated to examine the usefulness and usability. A range of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to evaluate the impact of the Shared Stage. The results, including the analysis of collaborative interactions and user perception, illustrate that the Shared Stage is a feasible and valuable addition for real-time collaborative 3D CAD. This research identifies the issues to be addressed for collaborative design environments and also provides a new framework and development strategy of a novel real-time collaborative 3D CAD system. The framework is successfully demonstrated through prototype implementation and an analytical usability evaluation.Financial support from the Department and from the UK government through the Overseas Research Studentship Awards

Herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible

En este artículo se presenta el diseño de una herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible. En primer lugar se presentan antecedentes en relación a la interacción tangible y sus posibilidades para el escenario educativo. También se revisa el concepto de herramienta de autor y se enumera una serie de características deseables para aquellas herramientas de autor orientadas al contexto educativo. Finalmente, se describe TIES (Tangible Interaction in Educational Scenario) que es la herramienta de autor diseñada, foco de este trabajo. Se fundamenta la necesidad de contar con ella y se presentan algunas conclusiones y líneas de trabajo futuro.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible

En este artículo se presenta el diseño de una herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible. En primer lugar se presentan antecedentes en relación a la interacción tangible y sus posibilidades para el escenario educativo. También se revisa el concepto de herramienta de autor y se enumera una serie de características deseables para aquellas herramientas de autor orientadas al contexto educativo. Finalmente, se describe TIES (Tangible Interaction in Educational Scenario) que es la herramienta de autor diseñada, foco de este trabajo. Se fundamenta la necesidad de contar con ella y se presentan algunas conclusiones y líneas de trabajo futuro.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible

En este artículo se presenta el diseño de una herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible. En primer lugar se presentan antecedentes en relación a la interacción tangible y sus posibilidades para el escenario educativo. También se revisa el concepto de herramienta de autor y se enumera una serie de características deseables para aquellas herramientas de autor orientadas al contexto educativo. Finalmente, se describe TIES (Tangible Interaction in Educational Scenario) que es la herramienta de autor diseñada, foco de este trabajo. Se fundamenta la necesidad de contar con ella y se presentan algunas conclusiones y líneas de trabajo futuro.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE

Herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible

En este artículo se presenta el diseño de una herramienta de autor para la creación de actividades educativas basadas en interacción tangible. En primer lugar se presentan antecedentes en relación a la interacción tangible y sus posibilidades para el escenario educativo. También se revisa el concepto de herramienta de autor y se enumera una serie de características deseables para aquellas herramientas de autor orientadas al contexto educativo. Finalmente, se describe TIES (Tangible Interaction in Educational Scenario) que es la herramienta de autor diseñada, foco de este trabajo. Se fundamenta la necesidad de contar con ella y se presentan algunas conclusiones y líneas de trabajo futuro.XIII Workshop Tecnología Informática Aplicada en Educación (WTIAE)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI