WLA Task Force on Technology Utilization
Topic Paper

Groupware Applications

Background

Excerpted liberally from the Groupware section of the Usability 1st web site at: http://usabilityfirst.com/groupware/index.html

 
"Groupware is technology designed to facilitate the work of groups. This technology may be used to communicate, cooperate, brainstorm, critique, prioritize, share, coordinate, solve problems, compete, or negotiate. While traditional technologies like the telephone qualify as groupware, the term is ordinarily used to refer to a specific class of technologies relying on modern computer networks, such as email, newsgroups, videophones, or chat.

Groupware technologies are typically categorized along two primary dimensions:

1. whether users of the groupware are working together at the same time ("real-time" or "synchronous" groupware) or different times("asynchronous" groupware), and
2. whether users are working together in the same place ("collocated" or "face-to-face") or in different places ("non-collocated" or "distance")."

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS

Asynchronous Groupware

• E-Mail
  
• Newsgroups/Mailing Lists
  
• Workflow Systems
  
• Hypertext
  
• Group Calendars
  
• Collaborative Writing Systems
  
• Threaded discussions
  
• Virtual communities

  Synchronous or Real-time Groupware
  

• Shared Whiteboards
  
• Video Communications systems
  
• Chat systems
  
• Document and Application sharing systems
  
• Decision Support systems
  
• Multiplayer games
  
• Discussion management

Advantages of Groupware

 "Why is groupware design worth paying attention to in the first place?

 Groupware offers significant advantages over single-user systems.
These are some of the most common reasons people want to use groupware:

• to facilitate communication: make it faster, clearer, more persuasive
  
• to enable communication where it wouldn't otherwise be possible
  
• to enable telecommuting
  
• to cut down on travel costs
  
• to bring together multiple perspectives and expertise
  
• to form groups with common interests where it wouldn't be possible to gather a sufficient number of people face-to-face
  
• to save time and cost in coordinating group work
  
• to facilitate group problem-solving
  
• to enable new modes of communication, such as anonymous interchanges or structured interactions
  

What do you need to use it?

Some applications utilize existing software and network capabilities found on most people's workstations. Some are run on top of existing communications servers or new servers. Others require each user to load software to make it work properly. For the face-to-face shared decision space type applications there are actual facility needs and user computing requirements that must be met.

How much does it cost?

Prices vary according to the product purchased. On the low end there are applications that the association and members already have such as e-mail and office calendar products. There are also small freeware, shareware, and inexpensive products that add particular functions to these basic capabilities. The high end includes the sophisticated business decision support products designed either for face-to-face group processes, or for distant meeting collaboration. These have both upfront and ongoing license costs. Some applications come as hosted services as well.

Concerns?

Like other communication technologies, groupware applications share the difficulty of many in that it may require software and configurations at a number of sites to make it work properly. In general that makes these tools more suited to "closed communities" such as a company's sales force or an individual school system where you have control over what is at both ends. There would probably be real training needs for the constantly new set of users of such tools. A person or persons would need to be utilized in some way to develop and support the use of this activity. Cost will certainly be a factor for some applications, but there are low cost alternatives than do seem to be available.

How would it benefit WLA?

Potential benefits could be found in four areas:

1. Business workflow activities where ongoing transactions can be made more efficient with automated assistance.
2. In person meetings and planning events where the discussion management, shared workspace, and decision tools could be used to make these activities more effective
3. Online meetings where the collaboration tools could make the ability to conduct fully interactive gatherings as alternatives to in person meeting more of real option.
4. Instructional content delivery where presentation tools could provide an real alternative to in person conference events for larger groups of members.

Links:

GROUPWARE Description
http://usabilityfirst.com/groupware/

Conferencing Software for the Web
http://thinkofit.com/webconf/

JAMM: Application Sharing System
http://simon.cs.vt.edu/jamm/

Teamwave: Teleconference/meeting/workspace software
http://www.teamwave.com/

Tango Interactive - Web Collaboratory
http://www.webwisdom.com/products/technologies/TANGOinteractive/index.html

Lotus Development Products Page
http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/welcome/products

NetMeeting
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/default.asp

Workflow Management Coalition
http://www.aiim.org/wfmc/mainframe.htm