Representations and Metaphors for the Structure of Synchronous Multimedia Collaboration within Task-Oriented, Time-Constrained Distributed Teams

Based primarily on the results of a month-long experiment and a crisis management exercise, synchronous multimedia collaboration within a task-oriented, time-constrained distributed team appears to exhibit three layers of structure. The first layer is episodic, and results in collections of related multimedia collaboration artifacts that can be called "chapters" or "scenes" in the collaboration. The second layer is the multivalent nature of collaboration, in which collaboration conversations at multiple subgroup levels take place at the same time. The third, top-level, layer is the agenda that drives the collaboration. The implications for the design of synchronous collaboration systems are that multiple views, representations, and metaphors for this conversation structure are needed. Chapter views, subgroup views, and agenda views are presented as alternative packaging mechanisms and entry points into the collaboration data. Other metaphors and presentations include the collaboration tree and infinitely recursive conference room, as well as network graphs of subgroup structure and agenda-based group awareness.