Groupware/CSCW

PRESENTATION BY

MUHAMMAD WAQAS

[email protected]

RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN

GROUPWARE / CSCW

INTRODUCTION“What we really have to do is eliminate

distance between individuals who want to interact with other people and with other computers.”

OBJECTIVES

What is CSCW

What is Groupware

Examples of Groupware

Features of Groupware

OBJECTIVES

Classification of Groupware

Types of Groupware

Design & Implementation Issues

Disadvantages of Groupware

CSCW?

CSCW is an acronym for Computer Supported Cooperative Work. It is the scientific discipline that motivates and validates groupware design.

CSCW?

CSCW is technology independent which means technology is not the major driving force behind the discipline. Instead, CSCW is socially dependent.

It looks at the way people interact and collaborate with each other, and attempts to develop guidelines for developing technology to assist in the communication process.

Groupware applications are not meant to replace people in an interactive situation.

GROUPWARE?

Groupware is the hardware and software which supports and augments group work.

GROUPWARE?

Groupware refers to programs that help people work together collectively while located remotely from each other

It is also used to define workflow, so that as one user completes a step in a project or process, the person responsible for the next step is notified automatically.

GROUPWARE?

Sometimes called collaborative software, Groupware is an integral component of a field of study known as Computer-Supported Cooperative Work or CSCW.

Groupware may be used to Communicate Cooperate Coordinate Solve problems Compete or negotiate

EXAMPLES OF GROUPWARE

Some product examples of groupware include Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange, both of which facilitate calendar sharing e-mail handling and the replication of files across a distributed system so that all users can view the same information.

Electronic "face-to-face" meetings are facilitated by CU-SeeMe and Microsoft NetMeeting.

EXAMPLES OF GROUPWARECU-SeeMe Microsoft NetMeeting

FEATURES OF GROUPWARE

There are so many Features that a Groupware provide and some of them are listed below and in next slides.

Support groups of people engaged in a common task or goal Provides a mechanism to share opinions and

resources A centralized repository for documents and

files that users can access and save to Idea Generation (Brainstorming) Managing Sessions


Document version management and change management

Shared calendars and task management One platform for managing, controlling and

developing business processes Support for working in different time zone One Touch (Supports Remote Teaching and Conferencing) Vineyard (Repository of shared information)


Option Finder Brainstorm weigh alternatives identify priorities vote and work toward consensus in a

non- decision room settings

CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPWARE

Groupware technologies are typically categorized along two primary dimensions:

1. whether users of the groupware are working together at the same time or different times

2. Whether users are working together in the same place or in different places.

CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPWARE

This classification system is based on type of support provides

1. Messaging System i.e., E-mail

2. Conferencing System

3. Collaborative Authoring SystemE.g. Editing a common Document

4. Group DSS (Ideas, Consensus, Analysis)

5. Coordination System like Workflow Management (i.e. deadlines, prompts etc)

GROUPWARE TIME/SPACE MATRIX

sameplace

differentplaces

same time different times

Face to Face

Interaction

Communication +

Coordination

Remote Interaction

Continuous Task

TYPES OF GROUPWARE

There are two basic types of Groupware

1. Synchronous Groupware Assists a group of individuals in

working together at the same time .

2. Asynchronous Groupware“Asynchronous groupware supports

communication and problem solving among groups of individuals who contribute at different times, and typically also are geographically dispersed.”


sameplacecolocated

differentplacesremote

same timesynchronous

different timesasynchronous

Face to Face Interaction

Communication +

Coordination

Remote Interaction

Continuous Task

SYNCHRONOUS GROUPWARE

sameplacecolocated




Face to Face Interaction

Group Decision Rooms

Single Display Groupware

Shared Table/ Wall Displays

Communication + Coordination

• Remote Interaction

• Continuous Task

1.Group Decision Room

Embeds decision making process Dedicated computer-based conference facility Real time large group support (5-50)Embeds a structured meeting process

Typical function Explore Problems Brainstorm ideas Organize/prioritize results voting…

Good for brainstorming

2. Single Display Groupware

Multiple people using a single display Multiple input devices Simultaneous input

3. Shared Table/ Wall Display

Display is Shared between people like shown in the figures.

SYNCHRONOUS GROUPWARE

sameplacecolocated





Remote InteractionVideo conferencing

Instant messaging

Shared screens

Multi-user editors

• Continuous Task

• Face to Face Interaction

1. Video Conferencing

Video communications systems allow two-way or multi-way calling with live video,

Bandwidth/latency issues

2. Instant Messaging

Chat systems permit many people to write messages in real-time in a public space.

3. Shared Screens

Workstation based applications for collaborative work at a number of desktops. Involve screen-sharing where a central theme is WYSIWIS (What You See Is What I See).


sameplacecolocated







Continuous TaskTeam rooms

Large public displays

Shift work groupware

Project management

1. Community Bulletin Boards

Post information from various sources to public placewho posts?how to personalize?relevance?

from Multimedia Fliers, Churchill, Nelson, Denoue, Communites and Technoligies 2003

2. Control Rooms

Information that goes across shifts

Information is storedView by relevant PeopleShared with others

NASA Control Center


sameplacecolocated





Communication + Coordination• Email• Mailing List• Group calendars• Collaborative Writing

System

• Communal Messaging• Workflow• Wikis


• Continuous Task

1. EMAIL

Email is by far the most common groupware application. While the basic technology is designed to pass simple messages between 2 people, even relatively basic email systems today typically include interesting features for

Forwarding messages Filing messages Creating mailing groups Attaching files with a message.

etc…

2.Newsgroups & Mailing list

Newsgroups and mailing lists are similar in spirit to email systems except that they are intended for messages among large groups of people instead of 1-to-1 communication.

3.Group Calendars

Group calendars is also a type of Asynchronous

Groupware which allows Scheduling

Project management

Coordination among many people

etc…

4.Collaborative Writing System

Collaborative writing systems may provide both real-time support and non real-time support.

Word processors may provide asynchronous support by showing authorship and by allowing users to track changes and make annotations to documents.

5. Communal Messaging

Many types Bulletin boards Computer conferencing Discussion groups Blogs

6. Wiki

Group-viewable / editable web sitecommunity of strangerstocommunity of collaborators


There are so many Design and Implementation issues that have to be addressed for sake of successful interaction. Some of them are mentioned below with detail.

1. Complexity

The complexity of groupware development is still an issue. One reason for this is the socio-technical dimension of groupware. Groupware designers do not only have to address technical issues (as in traditional software development) but also consider the social group processes that should be supported with the groupware application.


2. PersistencyPersistence is needed in some sessions. Chat and voice

communications are routinely non-persistent and evaporate at the end of the session. Virtual room and online file cabinets can persist for years. The designer of the collaborative space needs to consider the information duration needs and implement accordingly.

3. AuthenticationAuthentication has always been a problem with groupware.

When connections are made point-to-point, or when log-in registration is enforced, it's clear who is engaged in the session. However, audio and un-moderated sessions carry the risk of unannounced 'lurkers' who observe but do not announce themselves or contribute.


4. Concurrency IssuesMultiple input and output streams bring concurrency issues into

the groupware applications, like with a group editor such as GROVE, for example, one person might delete a sentence while a second person inserts a word into the sentence.

5. Session controlSession is the situation where a group is in process of a

conversation. Every session has to be controlled in all kinds of ways, from setting limits to prevent abuse up to providing ways to facilitate the communication.


6. Floor Control Once a user has joined a session it has to be decided the kind

of access (for example whether simultaneous or not or compromising techniques).

7. PrivacyPrivacy has to be ensured (even against aggressive attempts)

mostly by the possibility of the anonymity. One example privacy policy is the principle of reciprocity: if a user wants information about another user, he has to provide the equivalent information about himself.


8. Issues Related to Screen Space Management

Screen space is a limited resource in single-user applications, but it is even more of a problem with group interfaces in which each user can create windows that appear on other users' screens. Techniques for managing window proliferation are needed.

Approaches:a. One approach is to aggregate windows into functional sets, or rooms, each of which corresponds to a particular task. When a room is

entered, the windows associated with that room are opened. b. A second approach is to let one of the users bear some of the burden of

maintaining window order. The LIZA system provides a monitor tool, for example, which allows one user to open and close windows used by participants. This approach is particularly useful with inexperienced users.


9. WYSIWIS IssuesOne approach to constructing group interfaces is known as

WYSIWIS . This acronym stands for "What You See Is What I See" and denotes interfaces in which the shared context is guaranteed to appear the same to all participants.

Its major disadvantage is that it can be inflexible.

Experience has shown that users often want independent control over such details as window placement and size, and may require customized information within the window.


10.AwarenessWe don’t know how to be together

Playing together, Working together, and Learning together requires effort & technique

Group Awareness:

An understanding of the activities of others which provides a context for your own activity…

Informal: who is around & what they are doing including one’s self Social: presence & co-presence (perception of being real)Group-Structural: activities & team-members’, organisation Workspace: interface activities & interactions Aim: organization & knowledge convergence


Group-Awareness Guidelines Presence & Co-presence Time continuum Context continuum Situation experience Continuum experience Convergence Motivation & enjoyment

Groupware Disadvantages

Environment

Features

Cost

Network Speed & Reliability

Size


Environment Not Getting Face to Face Interaction Facial Expression Body language Loss of Individual Ideas

Features Lack of or too many capabilities

Narrow range of capabilities Too complex to Know Application Cumbersome user interface

Personal Privacy Storage


Cost Implementation

Server and Networking Hardware

Training Programs Technical Support

Network Speed & Reliability Old Systems

Reliant on Computer and Network which can fail

May lack compatibility between two systems

Size Large Size Management

ENVIRONMENT?

Thank you

Groupware/CSCW

Technology

Transcript of Groupware/CSCW