Co-presence, awareness and shareable interfaces

Co-presence technology supports people in the same physical space

Co-presence is technology that supports people’s activities when they interact in the same physical space. Many technologies enable groups to work, learn and socialise more effectively together, such as tabletops, whiteboards and public displays. To design them you understand face-to-face interaction through two things: coordination mechanisms and awareness mechanisms.

Coordination mechanisms keep a group acting together

When a group acts or interacts together, it coordinates using verbal and non-verbal communication, schedules, rules and conventions, and shared external representations. Face to face, talk is central. Non-verbal communication emphasises or substitutes: an orchestra’s arm and baton movement coordinates musicians, and a hand signal lands a plane on an airport ground. Explicit structures record events: an agenda (items to discuss) and minutes (a record of discussion). A shared external representation is a memo reminding people to act.

Awareness is knowing who is around and what is happening

Awareness involves knowing who is around, what is happening and who is talking with whom.

Groupware is classified by time and place, and social engagement is voluntary exchange

Shareable interfaces are also known as groupware. CSCW research seeks to understand collaborative behaviour and design technology that supports collaboration. Groupware is classified in a time/space matrix: time is when the interaction takes place, place is where. The matrix itself is a figure that did not extract from the slides, so its cell labels are not reproduced here; check the slide.

Social engagement is participation in activities of a social group. It is a social exchange where people give or receive something from others, voluntary, unpaid and often altruistic. Websites are often hubs that connect people, and retweeting is a powerful way of connecting millions.