I was part of a three-person group for the final project in INFO 230. Our task was to implement a website for a client. The members brought relevant technical, design, and interpersonal skills as well as the goal of producing an attractive, functional website. The tools and technologies we used to collaborate were phones, email, face to face interaction, and Google Docs (interestingly, we mostly used Google Docs while we were in the same room, not distributed).
The process of working on this project consisted of (1) communicating with the client to gather the requirements, (2) meeting in our group to discuss how we would meet those requirements and who would do what parts, and (3) actually building the website. Sometimes we worked individually; other times (the night the project was due, for example) we worked alongside one another in a computer lab.
There were noticeable differences in our interactions depending upon our proximity or distance while working. When the other two group members were not present I had to call or email them if I had a question or I needed some details about a different part of the project. Being in the same room made communication much more convenient. I could get suggestions and answers to questions almost immediately. There was also the possibility of having side conversations, which made the hours of work less tedious. Overall, working in the same place made for easier coordination and a more satisfying experience. These effects are in agreement with the findings in the Kiesler and Cummings article.
Another distance-related challenge we faced was that our client was not located near Cornell, so we were never able to meet with him in person. The main difficulty here was trying to understand exactly what he wanted on the website. This illustrates the point that expectations can be less clear when group members work together from distant locations.
In terms of output, our project was successful. We produced a pretty good website, we satisfied our needs, and there were no major problems among group members. I don't think the three of us would object to working together again.
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As you mentioned, it is extremely interesting that your group used Google docs even though you were in close proximity to each other. Is this because all of you were on different computers and google docs happened to be the best way to communicate?
ReplyDeleteDo you think your interactions would have been different (within the group) if you had used one computer but having all 3 people contribute to the design?
Also, were there specific communication problems that arose due to technology?
I agree with Radhika, I think there will be a change in the way everyone collaborates if there is only one computer. What were the mediums that were used to communicate with the client? I know when I took 230 our client had no communication with the class and that makes developing a product based on the developers assumptions and not the clients needs.
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