GROUPKIT: A GROUPWARE TOOLKIT FOR BUILDING REAL-TIME CONFERENCING APPLICATIONS

Abstract

(Submitted to the 1992 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW'92), Toronto). This paper presents our approach to the design of groupware toolkits for real-time work, and how the design is instantiated in our toolkit, \s+1G\s-1ROUP\s+1K\s-1IT. The design is based on both the technical underpinnings necessary for real-time groupware, and on user-centered features identified by existing CSCW human factors work. We also present three strategies for building \s+1G\s-1ROUP\s+1K\s-1IT's components. First, an extendible, object-oriented run-time architecture supports managing distributed processes and the communication between them. Second, transparent \fIoverlays\fR offer a convenient method for adding general components to various groupware applications, for example supporting gestures via multiple cursors and annotation via sketching. Third, \fIopen protocols\fR allow the groupware designer to create a wide range of policies, accommodating group differences in areas such as conference registration and floor control.