Context-linked virtual assistants for distributed teams: an astrophysics case study

  • Authors:

  • Sarah S. Poon;Rollin C. Thomas;Cecilia R. Aragon;Brian Lee

  • Affiliations:

  • Space Sciences Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA;Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA;Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA;Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Gatan Inc., Pleasanton, CA, USA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2008 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

There is a growing need for distributed teams to analyze complex and dynamic data streams and make critical decisions under time pressure. Via a case study, we discuss potential guidelines for the design of software tools to facilitate such collaborative decision-making. We introduce the term context-linked to characterize systems where both task and context information are included in a shared space. We describe a novel, lightweight, context-linked event notification/virtual assistant system developed to aid a cross-cultural, geographically distributed team of astrophysicists to remotely maneuver a custom-built instrument under challenging operational conditions, where critical decisions must be made in as little as 45 seconds. The system has been in use since 2005 by a major international astrophysics collaboration. We describe the design and implementation of the event notification system and then present a case study, based on event log analysis and user interviews, of its effectiveness in substantially improving user performance during time-critical science tasks. Finally, we discuss the implications of context linking for supporting common ground in distributed teams.