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Designing Rooms for Virtual, Informal Communication: Reciprocal Awareness as a Central Criterion

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Advances in Ergonomic Design of Systems, Products and Processes

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Abstract

The trend towards decentralized collaboration in companies leads to challenges for informal communication because spatial proximity is missing. This is a problem since informal communication is considered to be key for successful collaboration. Telepresence systems, which connect distant places, are potential solutions. However, little is known about which conditions are beneficial and which ones detrimental to informal communication. In this qualitative study, conditions which further informal communication, were examined in different virtual café settings. A method was developed which combined participatory design with a qualitative experiment. In the Usability Lab of the University of Arts and Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), 19 people (N = 19) tried out various virtual café settings, analyzed requirements for optimization and subsequently tested them. At the same time, 20 group interviews were conducted and analyzed according to the principles of heuristic-detecting social research. Three subcategories which influence each other were identified as key results (awareness, privacy and control). These three subcategories need to be balanced when a virtual café (room and technology) is designed. Furthermore, encouraging (reciprocal) awareness could also be a possible solution.

“You See Me, When I Also See You”—Reciprocal Awareness as a Design Criterion for Rooms Providing Virtual, Informal Communication, using a Virtual Café as an Example

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Alternatively video transmission systems.

  2. 2.

    The abbreviation for Places of Virtual, Informal Communication.

  3. 3.

    Cognition can be understood as a general term that involves conscious and unconscious mental processes (e.g. perception or thinking) (Wirtz 2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Research and Development of Collaborative Processes (ifk), School of Applied Psychology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, 4600, Olten, Switzerland

    Corsin Flepp, Gregory Meier, Thomas Ryser, Roger Burkhard & Hartmut Schulze

  2. Institute for Higher Education in Applied Psychology (ZfA), School of Applied Psychology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, 4600, Olten, Switzerland

    Michael Imhof

  3. Institute of Experimental Design and Media Cultures (IX DM), School of Art and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Freilager-Platz 1, 4023, Basel, Switzerland

    Andreas Simon

Authors
  1. Corsin Flepp
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  2. Michael Imhof
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  3. Gregory Meier
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  4. Thomas Ryser
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  5. Roger Burkhard
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  6. Hartmut Schulze
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  7. Andreas Simon
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Correspondence to Corsin Flepp .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Christopher Marc Schlick

  2. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Sönke Duckwitz

  3. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Frank Flemisch

  4. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Martin Frenz

  5. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Sinem Kuz

  6. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Alexander Mertens

  7. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Susanne Mütze-Niewöhner

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Flepp, C. et al. (2017). Designing Rooms for Virtual, Informal Communication: Reciprocal Awareness as a Central Criterion. In: Schlick, C., et al. Advances in Ergonomic Design of Systems, Products and Processes. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53305-5_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-53305-5_14

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