A framework for understanding the workspace activity of design teams

  • Authors:
  • John C. Tang;Larry J. Leifer

  • Affiliations:
  • System Sciences Laboratory, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California and Center for Design Research, Mechanical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Sta ...;Center for Design Research, Mechanical Engineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, California

  • Venue:
  • CSCW '88 Proceedings of the 1988 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work
  • Year:
  • 1988

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Abstract

Small group design sessions were empirically studied to understand better collaborative workspace activity. A conventional view of workspace activity may be characterized as concerned only with storing information and conveying ideas through text and graphics. Empirical evidence shows that this view is deficient in not accounting for how the workspace is used: a) in a group setting, rather than by an individual, and b) as part of a process of constructing artifacts, rather than just a medium for the resulting artifacts themselves. An understanding of workspace activity needs to include the role of gestural activity, and the use of the workspace to develop ideas and mediate interaction. A framework that helps illustrate an expanded view of workspace activity is proposed and supported with empirical data.