Designing multi-touch tabletop interaction techniques to support co-located Group Information Management
- Authors: Ditta, Mohammed Ali
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Groupware (Computer software) , Teams in the workplace -- Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10493 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020639
- Description: Co-located group information management (GIM) is a form of groupware with the aim of enabling users to collaboratively find, store, maintain, organise and share personal and/or group information in support of a group activity. Existing systems aimed at partially supporting GIM activities have been implemented on single user devices. These systems make use of asynchronous communication that may hinder collaboration by misinterpretation, information leaks, etc. Few systems exist, with limited functionality, that support co-located GIM. Multi-touch tabletop interaction has given rise to a new approach for supporting Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Multi-touch tabletops allow multiple users to naturally interact with a computer device using a shared display and gesture interaction. The tabletop environment also enables users to sit in a natural environment and synchronously communicate without bulky desktops or laptops. Multi-touch tabletops provide the hardware necessary to support co-located GIM. Existing multi-touch interaction techniques were analysed and proved insufficient to support the advanced functional requirements of GIM. The goal of this research was therefore to support co-located GIM by designing new multi-touch tabletop interaction techniques. An architecture was proposed to support co-located GIM with new multi-touch interaction techniques. A software prototype was developed based on the proposed architecture to facilitate the main activities of GIM and to collaboratively compile documents. The prototype was named CollaGIM (Colla – collaborative, GIM – group information management). CollaGIM supports the main activities of GIM using natural gesture interaction on a multi-touch tabletop. An evaluation of the software was conducted by means of a user study where 15 teams of two people participated. High task success rates and user satisfaction results were achieved, which showed that CollaGIM was capable of supporting co-located GIM using the new multi-touch tabletop interaction techniques. CollaGIM also positively supported collaboration between users.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Using multi-touch interaction techniques to support Collaborative Information Retrieval
- Authors: Sams, Ivan
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Human-computer interaction , Teams in the workplace -- Data processing , Groupware (Computer software) , Interactive computer systems
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10491 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020156
- Description: Collaborative Information Retrieval (CIR) is a branch of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). CIR is the process by which people search for and retrieve information, working together and using documents as data sources. Currently, computer support for CIR is limited to single user systems. Collaboration takes place either with users working at different times or in different locations. Multi-touch interaction has recently seen a rise in prominence owing to a reduction in the cost of the technology and increased frequency of use. Multi-touch surface computing allows multiple users to interact at once around a shared display. The aim of this research was to investigate how multi-touch interaction techniques could be used to support CIR effectively in a co-located environment. An application architecture for CIR systems that incorporates multi-touch interaction techniques was proposed. A prototype, called Co-IMBRA, was developed based on this architecture that used multi-touch interaction techniques to support CIR. This prototype allows multiple users to retrieve information, using the Internet as a shared information space. Documents are represented as visual objects that can be manipulated on the multi-touch surface, as well as rated, annotated and added to folders. A user study was undertaken to evaluate Co-IMBRA and determine whether the multi-touch interaction techniques effectively supported CIR. Fifteen teams of two users each participated in the user study. High task completion rates and low task times showed that the system was effective and efficient. High levels of user satisfaction were reported in the post-test questionnaires. Participants rated the system as highly useful and several commented that it promoted collaboration and that they enjoyed the test. The successful implementation of Co-IMBRA provides evidence that multi-touch interaction techniques can effectively support CIR. The results of the user evaluation also enabled recommendations for future research to be made.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
An investigation of a framework to evaluate computer supported collaborative work
- Authors: Beauvais, Erik Alexander Maoui
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Computer networks , Teams in the workplace -- Data processing , Technology -- Data processing , Information technology -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1135 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002763 , Computer networks , Teams in the workplace -- Data processing , Technology -- Data processing , Information technology -- Economic aspects
- Description: Rapidly changing technology constantly modifies the way in which tasks are conceived and executed. Furthermore, leading organisations also encourage the use of new technology to support and establish innovative ways of doing business. For example, technology has helped to drive the globalization and tighter integration of world markets. This has facilitated, and even necessitated, business organisations to compete for work across national borders. For geographically dispersed organisations, collaboration has become critical. But this has presented time and space work complexities. Communication and collaboration technologies, for example, are needed to support such emerging co-operative business practices. The short development cycle of technology, communication and collaborative technologies included, leaves little time for testing and less for understanding the impact of new technology. To compound the problem, no established formulae exist for matching technology with work: over-investment is a waste of resources, while under-investment could lead to work failure. This research proposes a framework to assist organisations in selecting the appropriate level of technology with the work required. In this study, the methodology developed by the Evaluation Working Group, the DARPA Intelligent Collaboration and Visualization program is extended, and a matrix framework is constructed which compares the success of generic work tasks against a range of technology resources. The framework is tested using a low resource configuration, with selected work task types generally found in software development. (The Joint Application Development (JAD) methodology for software development is used as the contextual basis of the experiment.) All activities are evaluated according to selected measure components of success. A collection of research methods known as ethnography is used to examine and test the framework. Methods employed include questionnaires, interviews, interaction analysis and ethnomethodology. The results indicate that even at a low resource level, given selected criteria, collaborative technology successfully supports certain collaborative work activities. Findings also indicate that softer people issues require much more attention in order for technology to support natural collaborative work. Finally, user defined parameter testing has indicated that the framework functions as expected and designed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1999