Computer Support for Real Time Collaborative Work

Abstract

A large portion of an office worker's time involves real time collaboration with fellow associates. Many traditional tools assist this process, such as telephones, meeting rooms, specialized media such as whiteboards, and so on. This paper is concerned with the potential of the computer as a tool to further enhance the group work process through direct support of real time communication needs and the specific collaboration requirements of the group. General computer support for four styles of real-time interactions are distinguished and surveyed: 1) face to face meetings; 2) remote conferencing; 3) casual real time interaction; and 4) multi-user applications. Each topic is introduced, motivations discussed, and the key technical systems and related research described. 1 Introduction Although computers are now familiar tools used by people to pursue their own individual tasks, they have not, until recently, been exploited to assist people working together. Computer-supported cooperativ...