PATTERN: “LOCAL CO-ACTIVITY”

Obsereved in Facebook and Twitter social networking applications.

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Make a ware of co-presence and local activities of all remote team members.

Context

In the QUICK CHAT synchronous communication every member communicates using a unique ID. Members are hence aware of the presence or absence of a person online. Moreover, a status line that is associated to a user ID usually tells others the attitude or local activities of this user.

Cultural Context

Is efficient in collaboration of Collective and High Contextual Communication cultures. Bridges Polychrome and Monochrome Time orientation cultures.

Breakdown

Usually awareness indicators measure and display online activity of users but do not recognize local activities by the group that are running in parallel to online activities.

However, especially collective and polychrome and long time cultures interweave online chat and local group activities, off-task and work situations.

Problem

How can you make aware of parallel activities in the local and online environment?

Forces

Polychrome, long time and collective cultures often work altogether in collocated groups were tasks and responsibilities, schedules and activities are changing quickly. In parallel online and local work situations, the individual team members’ responsibilities can alternate between communicating with the remote group and carrying out local tasks. In phases of intensive teamwork results form local activity need to be communicated instantly to the remote team. If remote group members are unaware what local members are doing synchronously to conversing online, communication breakdowns can occur.

Solution

Indicate who is locally co-present in addition to the online account holders and indicate which activities those members are engaged in.

A co-presence and activity indicator makes aware what other team members are doing locally if they are present at the online account holders locality but not online. This function helps to distribute roles and tasks ad hoc.

Why

Polychrome time cultures work and chat simultaneously. Long time and high contextual communicating cultures rather monitor and observe changes in activities than asking direct questions what remote members are doing at them moment. Hence, indicating local co-processes and activates of remote collaborators supports indirect communication and coordination of tasks in computer-supported collaboration.

Resulting Context

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