On the design of potential collaboration spaces. (11th May 2004) - Moran, Alberto L.
In this paper, we introduce the concepts of Potential and Actual Collaboration Spaces. The former applies to the initial space where opportunities for collaboration are identified and an initial interaction is established, while the latter relates to the space where collaborative activities are performed. We propose a characterisation for Potential Collaboration Spaces, which addresses support for identifying the potential for collaboration, establishing initial interactions, allowing seamless transitions between work modes and managing privacy and intrusiveness issues. We argue that by making this distinction explicit, and characterising Potential Collaboration Spaces, designers of groupware can better identify the technical requirements of their systems and thus provide solutions that more appropriately address their users' concerns. We illustrate this concept with the design of Doc2U, an instant messaging and presence awareness tool that supports Potential Collaboration Spaces for collaborative authoring.