PERSONALIZABLE GROUPWARE: ACCOMMODATING INDIVIDUAL ROLES AND GROUP DIFFERENCES
Date
1990-08-01
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Abstract
(Revised June 1991)
For groupware to be considered successful, it must be usable and
acceptable by most, if not all, members of the group. Yet the differences
present between group members - their varying roles, needs, skills - and
the differences between groups as a whole are a serious obstacle to
achieving uniform acceptance of the groupware product, especially when
the product treats all people and groups identically. This paper raises
several consequences of not accommodating individual differences, and
then offers a possible solution to the problem. First, instances of
groupware failure are described: the inability of the group to reach a
critical mass; the unequal accessibility of the groupware by participants;
the failure to accommodate the different roles participants may play; the
failure to balance the work done against the benefits received; and the
failure of groupware to evolve with the needs of the group. Second, the
notion of \fIpersonalizable groupware\fR is proposed, defined as a system
whose behaviour can be altered to match the particular needs of group
participants and of each group as a whole. Finally, the paper presents
SHARE, a working example of personalizable groupware. SHARE is a
shared screen system that offers its users a flexible choice of floor
control models to help them mediate their interactions with the shared
application.
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Computer Science