MOBILE GROUPWARE Jason Tsay Advanced User Interface Software - Spring 2013

Outline 1.Groupware 2.Mobile Groupware 3.Challenges 4.Multiple PDA Example 2

GROUPWARE 3

Groupware Computer-based systems that support groups of people engaged in a common task (or goal) and that provide an interface to a shared environment Ellis, Clarence A., Simon J. Gibbs, and Gail Rein. "Groupware: some issues and experiences." Communications of the ACM 34.1 (1991):

Examples Shared Virtual Whiteboards Multi-user editors Distributed brainstorming tools Real-time network games 5

Synchronous Groupware Synchronous groupware systems allow physically separated users to interact with one another and with shared computational objects in real time. Phillips, W. Greg. "Architectures for synchronous groupware." Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1999). 6

Critical Features for Toolkits 1.Run-Time Architecture 2.Programming Abstractions 3.Groupware Widgets 4.Session Management Greenberg, Saul, and Mark Roseman. "Groupware toolkits for synchronous work." Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (Trends in Software 7) (1999):

Critical Features for Toolkits 1.Run-Time Architecture – Centralized vs Replicated Architectures – Centralized: Single application across all participants Easy to bottleneck – Replicated: Parallel applications Much harder to synchronize Greenberg, Saul, and Mark Roseman. "Groupware toolkits for synchronous work." Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (Trends in Software 7) (1999):

Critical Features for Toolkits 2.Programming Abstractions – Unshared system – neither data nor view shared Up to programmer to maintain model/view/controller Ex: RPC – Shared model – data model shared by system – Shared view – both view and models are shared Greenberg, Saul, and Mark Roseman. "Groupware toolkits for synchronous work." Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (Trends in Software 7) (1999):

Critical Features for Toolkits 3.Groupware Widgets – Modified Single User Widgets Synchronicity Access Control – Groupware Widgets Participant status Telepointers Greenberg, Saul, and Mark Roseman. "Groupware toolkits for synchronous work." Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (Trends in Software 7) (1999):

Critical Features for Toolkits 4.Session Management – End-user establishing groupware connections Greenberg, Saul, and Mark Roseman. "Groupware toolkits for synchronous work." Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (Trends in Software 7) (1999):

MOBILE GROUPWARE 12

Why Mobile? Convenience Ubiquitous Pervasive Infrastructure 13

Challenges of Mobile Groupware 1.Communication 2.Architecture 3.Coordination 4.Data distribution/consistency 5.User interfaces 6.Security/Privacy 7.Realisation issues 14 Roth, J., Seven Challenges for Developers of Mobile Groupware. In: Workshop "Mobile Ad Hoc Collabora-tion", CHI 2002, Minneapolis.

Challenges of Mobile Groupware 1.Communication – Which technology/protocol to use – Connecting devices – Ad-hoc networks 2.Architecture – Finding appropriate architecture – Hard to detect pros/cons until implemented 3.Coordination – Mobile users are often only loosely connected to infrastructure – Session management difficult 15 Roth, J., Seven Challenges for Developers of Mobile Groupware. In: Workshop "Mobile Ad Hoc Collabora-tion", CHI 2002, Minneapolis.

Challenges of Mobile Groupware 4.Data distribution/consistency – Distributing shared data – Weakly connected devices – Programming abstractions 5.User interfaces – Fundamentally different compared to PCs – Appropriate groupware widgets 16 Roth, J., Seven Challenges for Developers of Mobile Groupware. In: Workshop "Mobile Ad Hoc Collabora-tion", CHI 2002, Minneapolis.

Challenges of Mobile Groupware 6.Security/Privacy – Lost/stolen devices – Intercepted transmissions – Cryptography framework 7.Realisation issues – Device limitations – Platform considerations 17 Roth, J., Seven Challenges for Developers of Mobile Groupware. In: Workshop "Mobile Ad Hoc Collabora-tion", CHI 2002, Minneapolis.

Challenges of Mobile Groupware 18 Roth, J., Seven Challenges for Developers of Mobile Groupware. In: Workshop "Mobile Ad Hoc Collabora-tion", CHI 2002, Minneapolis.

MULTIPLE PDA EXAMPLE 19

MMM Groupware Multi-Device, Multi-User, Multi-Editor Connect multiple PDAs to a PC – Input devices Centralized Run-time Architecture 20

Remote Commander Use PDA an input device for a PC Strokes = PC mouse Keyboard input = PC keyboard 21 Brad A. Myers, Herb Stiel, and Robert Gargiulo. "Collaboration Using Multiple PDAs Connected to a PC," Proceedings CSCW'98: ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, November 14-18, 1998, Seattle, WA. pp

Remote Commander: Coordination Relies on social protocols to control turn Found that people would “fiddle” – Which interferes with work attempts PowerPoint mode – User-specific colors 22 Brad A. Myers, Herb Stiel, and Robert Gargiulo. "Collaboration Using Multiple PDAs Connected to a PC," Proceedings CSCW'98: ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, November 14-18, 1998, Seattle, WA. pp

PebblesDraw Multi-cursor drawing program – Single Display Groupware Independent actions per user – Parallel input streams – Amulet behavior/interactor – Programming abstraction 23 Brad A. Myers, Herb Stiel, and Robert Gargiulo. "Collaboration Using Multiple PDAs Connected to a PC," Proceedings CSCW'98: ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, November 14-18, 1998, Seattle, WA. pp

PebblesDraw: User Interface Redesigned widgets – User-specific selection handles – Color feedback (palette) Groupware widgets – User-specific cursors 24 Brad A. Myers, Herb Stiel, and Robert Gargiulo. "Collaboration Using Multiple PDAs Connected to a PC," Proceedings CSCW'98: ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, November 14-18, 1998, Seattle, WA. pp

Current Mobile Groupware Why not more prevalent? – Technology has progressed Wireless protocol/technology Ubiquitous infrastructure Widely available authentication protocols – Same challenges User interfaces for groupware Device limitations Platform considerations 25

Questions? 26