Supporting Co-operative Work Through Ubiquitous Awareness-Filtration
Mechanisms
Rameshsharma Ramloll, Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow
A number of researchers contend that collaborative systems intended to
support co-operative work need to provide some means for users to be
aware of peer activities. Common approaches involve broadcasting events
generated by a user's actions at the interface to others. However,
rather than flooding users with detailed information about all
activities occurring in the shared environment, filtration techniques
under the control of each user are required so that they are exposed
only to relevant awareness information. Currently, such techniques can
mostly be traced to user configurable agents. Unfortunately, such user
configuration approaches can be effective only in cases where
interactions can be anticipated and where configuration plans can be
drawn. Workplace studies have revealed that collaborative activities
often lack a formal structure and tend to be highly improvisational in
nature. Configurable agents have typically failed to capture the
diversity and the complex interrelationships between collaborative
activities. In addition, agent configurations tend to impose a heavy
task load on participants. This is especially true in cases where
participants wish to synchronise agent configurations with their rapidly
evolving needs in highly dynamic collaborative environments. Our
approach to support unstructured work at the multi-user desktop is more
in line with the direct manipulation of information rich interfaces to
reveal what information is needed at the right level of emphasis. It
also allows every user to function in a multi-user environment with the
same freedom as experienced in a single-user environment. The approach
involves extending the desktop metaphor and designing awareness
filtration control mechanisms which are ubiquitous to but in the full
control of the user. The cross-client linkage of the desktop interface
elements, the use of multi-media and its browsing techniques allows a
unique integration of filtration configuration with normal workpractice
at the desktop interface.
For more information contact: ramesh@dcs.gla.ac.uk