SASSE: THE COLLABORATIVE EDITOR (video tape transcript)
Ron Baecker, Geof Glass, Alex Mitchell and Ilona Posner
Dynamic Graphics Project, Computer Systems Research Institute
University of Toronto
6 Kings College Road
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 1A4
Phone: (416) 978-6983
E-mail: baecker@dgp.toronto.edu
ABSTRACT
Writing is very often a collaborative activity. Despite this, very little is understood about how people write together, and very few systems are available to support this activity. This video presents the results of our studies into collaborative writing, and shows how the results of our work have been applied to the design of SASSE (Synchronous Asynchronous Structured Shared Editor).
KEYWORDS: Computer-supported cooperative work, groupware, collaborative writing, synchronous and asynchronous writing.
Many authors work collaboratively; in fact, approximately 85% of all business and academic documents are written by several authors. However, existing writing tools are not designed to support this sort of writing [2, 5, 6].
To understand the collaborative writing process, we carried out extensive behavioural studies, including interviews, laboratory and field studies [7, 8, 9]. From this work, we were able to develop a taxonomy of collaborative writing, and proceed with the iterative design of appropriate software for this purpose [1, 3, 4].
This video presents some of what we have learned from these studies, and explains how this understanding of the writing process is reflected in the design of a new collaborative writing tool, called SASSE.
SHARED WORKSPACE
In our laboratory studies we observed that one problem facing authors working on conventional technology was the inability to see each other's work.
There was clearly a need to provide a shared workspace, a common document to which all authors have access. The form of this workspace varies depending on the stage of writing, and the style of collaboration, but in all cases some form of common point of reference was needed.
SASSE provides this shared workspace in the form of a shared document. Authors are able to work on networked Macintosh computers, possibly separated geographically, on a single document. We assume that an external communications channel, such as a telephone or a video phone, is used to connect the authors.
Each author working on a document is assigned a unique colour, which can be used to identify his or her work. All authors are able to work on the document concurrently. Selections are colour-coded to aid awareness.
TIGHTLY COUPLED WORK
When collaborating on a document, people can work closely on a single section, or work in looser collaboration on different sections. We call the former working style tightly coupled or highly focused work.
SASSE uses coloured selections and a remote cursor, or telepointer, to allow authors to gesture in the shared document. This provides authors with a way of communicating about the document through the workspace.
The system does not usually enforce a What You See Is What I See (WYSIWIS) view of the document. However, to provide a common frame of reference authors can choose to use SASSE's Synchronize view. This ensures that all authors have the same view, and facilitates dialogue about the document.
LOOSELY COUPLED WORK
Authors may also collaborate loosely on separate sections of the same document. In this case, coordinating activities and maintaining awareness of the activities of one's coauthors becomes difficult.
To address these problems, SASSE provides a number of collaboration awareness tools. A second, shared scrollbar contains colour-coded thumbs indicating the location of all the authors who are actively working on a document.
The Gestalt view displays a miniaturized overview of the document, including the selections and locations of all the authors. The Observation view shows the same image as that seen by one other author. This is useful for coordinating work on different sections of the document.
ASYNCHRONOUS WORK
Our studies support previous research which suggests that most collaborative writing is performed asynchronously, especially during the writing, editing and reviewing stages. This style of collaboration leads to an entirely new set of issues.
With several people working separately on the same document, either sequentially or concurrently, there must be some form of version control. SASSE provides a simple check in/ check out facility to address this requirement.
It is also important to be able to see what changes have been made to the document by different authors. SASSE allows new text to be colour coded, allowing other authors to see how the document has been altered. This can also be used to insert comments into a document.
CURRENT AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Although this work touches on many of the issues important to the design of collaborative writing technology, there are still many areas which need to be explored.
Most of our research has focused on synchronous writing. We are now investigating the requirements for asynchronous support. Issues include version control, document merging, and annotation in a variety of media.
We are also investigating applications of SASSE to education. Working with the CSILE project at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, we are observing the use of SASSE by grade school students.
Finally, we are continuing to evaluate SASSE, both in the laboratory and in the field. This work enriches our understanding of how people write together, and helps inform future design decisions.
REFERENCES
1. Baecker, R.M., Nastos, D., Posner, I.R., and Mawby, K.L., The User-Centred Iterative Design of Collaborative Writing Software, Proceedings of InterCHI '93, pp. 399-405, 541.
2. Galegher, J., Kraut, R.E., and Edigo, C., Technology for Intellectual Teamwork: Perspectives on Research and Design., in Intellectual Teamwork: Social and Technological Foundation of Cooperative Work, J. Galegher, R.E. Kraut and C. Egido, Editor. 1990, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Hillsdale, NJ.
3. Mawby, K.L., Designing Collaborative Writing Tools. 1991, Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto.
4. Nastos, D., A Structured Environment for Collaborative Writing. 1992, Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto.
5. Neuwirth, C.M., Kaufer, D.S., Chandhok, R., and Morris, J.H., Issues in the Design of Computer Support for Co-authoring and Commenting, in Proceedings of CSCW 90, pp. 183-195. Reprinted in Baecker, R., Readings in Groupware and Computer-supported Cooperative Work: Facilitating Human-human Collaboration, Morgan Kaufmann, 1993.
6. Olson, J.S., Olson, G.M., Storrøsten, M., and Carter, M., How a Group-Editor Changes the Character of a Design Meeting as well as its Outcome, in Proceedings of CSCW'92, pp 91-98.
7. Posner, I.R., A Study of Collaborative Writing. 1991, Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto.
8. Posner, I.R. and Baecker, R.M., How People Write Together, in Proceedings of the Twenty-fifth Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 1992, 127-138. Reprinted in Baecker, R., Readings in Groupware and Computer-supported Cooperative Work: Facilitating Human-human Collaboration, Morgan Kaufmann, 1993.
9. Posner, I.R. and Baecker, R.M., A Study of Collaborative Writing, journal article submitted for review, 1993.