SUPPORT FOR GROUP AWARENESS IN REAL-TIME DESKTOP CONFERENCES
Date
1995-03-01
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Abstract
Real-time desktop conferencing systems are multi-user computer applications
that allow physically distant people to work together in a shared virtual
space at the same time. These systems do not yet provide the rich
communication and awareness that are possible in a face-to-face
interaction. One of the elements lacking in desktop conferencing is
\fIgroup awareness\fR- the up-to-the-minute knowledge of other people's
activities that is required for an individual to coordinate and complete
their part of a group task. This paper describes our initial investigations
into computer support for group awareness. We present a framework for
thinking about the concept that divides awareness into physical, task,
and social environments, and then uses a proximity space to categorise
group situations in terms of group awareness. From the framework, we
have designed and built several \fIawareness widgets\fR for use in a
groupware toolkit. These widgets assist conference participants in
staying aware of others' locations when their views are separated, of
others' task activities in shared and separate view situations, and of
their past activities in semi-synchronous situations.
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Computer Science