Tabula: a web-based coordination tool integrating task structure overviews and minimalist task workspaces. (1st January 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kaptelinin, Victor; Björnfot, Patrik
• Is Part Of: International journal of Web engineering and technology. Volume 8:Number 3(2013)
• Page Start: 250
• Page End: 263
• Publication Date: 2013-01-01
• Subjects: web-based course management -- coordination -- task workspaces -- everyday contexts -- CSCW; World Wide Web -- Periodicals; Web site development -- Periodicals; Application software -- Development -- Periodicals; 006.7
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1476-1289

Abstract

The paper describes the design, implementation, and tentative evaluation of a web-based coordination tool named Tabula. The tool employs a shared representation that has the form of a task/participant table. Individual cells of the table are designed as minimalist interactive workspaces, each supporting a particular user in performing a particular task. Integrating overviews of the overall structure of participants' tasks with task management features within a single representation is intended to help the user identify pending tasks, facilitate access to task-related resources, and support an automatic update of projects' visual representations. A prototype of the tool has been evaluated within an informal web-based course. The results of the evaluation are discussed.