Revisiting Collaboration through Mixed Reality: The Evolution of Groupware

Barrett Ens, Joel Lanir, Anthony Tang, Scott Bateman, Gun Lee, Thammaathip Piumsomboon, and Mark Billinghurst. (2019). Revisiting Collaboration through Mixed Reality: The Evolution of Groupware. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 131C: 81–98.

Abstract

Collaborative Mixed Reality (MR) systems are at a critical point in time as they are soon to become more commonplace. However, MR technology has only recently matured to the point where researchers can focus deeply on the nuances of supporting collaboration, rather than needing to focus on creating the enabling technology. In parallel, but largely independently, the field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) has focused on the fundamental concerns that underlie human communication and collaboration over the past 30-plus years. Since MR research is now on the brink of moving into the real world, we reflect on three decades of collaborative MR research and try to reconcile it with existing theory from CSCW, to help position MR researchers to pursue fruitful directions for their work. To do this, we review the history of collaborative MR systems, investigating how the common taxonomies and frameworks in CSCW and MR research can be applied to existing work on collaborative MR systems, exploring where they have fallen behind, and look for new ways to describe current trends. Through identifying emergent trends, we suggest future directions for MR, and also find where CSCW researchers can explore new theory that more fully represents the future of working, playing and being with others.

Materials

PDF File (http://hcitang.org/papers/2019-ijhcs-revisiting-collaboration.pdf)
URL (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581919300606)
DOI (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.05.011)

Keywords

Collaborative Mixed Reality, Mixed Reality, Augmented Reality, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Collaborative Technology

BibTeX

@article{ens2019groupware,
  title = {Revisiting Collaboration through Mixed Reality: The Evolution of Groupware},
  journal = {International Journal of Human-Computer Studies},
  year = {2019},
  issn = {1071-5819},
  volume = {131C},
  month = nov,
  pages = {81--98},
  doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.05.011},
  url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581919300606},
  author = {Ens, Barrett and Lanir, Joel and Tang, Anthony and Bateman, Scott and Lee, Gun and Piumsomboon, Thammaathip and Billinghurst, Mark},
  keywords = {Collaborative Mixed Reality, Mixed Reality, Augmented Reality, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Collaborative Technology},
  pdfurl = {http://hcitang.org/papers/2019-ijhcs-revisiting-collaboration.pdf}
}