Abstract

Most research studies looking at computer-supported collaborative design have focused on either synchronous or asynchronous modes of communication, but near-synchronous working has received relatively little attention. Yet it could be argued that near-synchronous communication encourages creative, rhetorical and critical exchanges of ideas, building on each other’s contributions. Although many researchers have carried out studies on collaborative design protocols (Cross, 1997; Gabriel and Maher 1999; Peng, 1994), argumentation and constructive interaction (Baker, 1999), but little is known about the interaction between drawing and dialogue in collaborative design. This research explored and established the needs of design students engaged in collaborative design activities in virtual learning environments, and, in particular, to investigate the characteristics of graphical communication when such activities are conducted in a near-synchronous mode. “Graphical communication” is here taken to include the use of drawings, sketches, diagrams, images, widgets, scribbled words and any graphical representations to facilitate argumentative dialogues in collaborative design. The results provided recommendations for the use and development of tools to support such collaborative design activities.

Keywords

Computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW); conceptual design; protocol analysis; computer-mediated communication (CMC)

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Nov 17th, 12:00 AM

Design, Drawing and Dialogue Interaction in Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) in Design.

Most research studies looking at computer-supported collaborative design have focused on either synchronous or asynchronous modes of communication, but near-synchronous working has received relatively little attention. Yet it could be argued that near-synchronous communication encourages creative, rhetorical and critical exchanges of ideas, building on each other’s contributions. Although many researchers have carried out studies on collaborative design protocols (Cross, 1997; Gabriel and Maher 1999; Peng, 1994), argumentation and constructive interaction (Baker, 1999), but little is known about the interaction between drawing and dialogue in collaborative design. This research explored and established the needs of design students engaged in collaborative design activities in virtual learning environments, and, in particular, to investigate the characteristics of graphical communication when such activities are conducted in a near-synchronous mode. “Graphical communication” is here taken to include the use of drawings, sketches, diagrams, images, widgets, scribbled words and any graphical representations to facilitate argumentative dialogues in collaborative design. The results provided recommendations for the use and development of tools to support such collaborative design activities.

 

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