Sharing representations in distant synchronous collaborative design : framework, technological proposal and scientific issues.

Abstract

This chapter addresses the issue of sharing in collaborative design by the use of an original system developed in the LUCID-ULg Lab. The Distributed Collaborative Design Studio (DCDS) is a remote workspace environment aiming to emulate, at a distance, the conditions of face-to-face meetings. It is designed to allow designers to interact collaboratively at distance on a shared workspace, thanks to «natural» pen-based interaction. This documents sharing and real-time collaborative annotations are supposed to enhance awareness and grounding dur- ing collaboration in design domains. In this chapter, we explicit the theoretical rationale for sharing in collaborative design, briefly describe the DCDS, summarize the observations we made relative to resources sharing (plans, pictures, documents and so on), and conclude on the theoretical and methodological issues to be addressed to deepen our knowledge about sharing external representations in design, to enhance the system and to adapt it to other contexts.ARC COMMO