Practice-informed Patterns for Organising Large Groups in Distributed Mixed Reality Collaboration

TL;DR

The paper addresses scaling distributed mixed reality collaboration from dyads to large groups across dissimilar spaces by engaging collaboration designers (CDs) to reimagine MR collaboration spaces. It uses a four-part expert workshop—MR technology probe, semi-structured interviews, speculative low-fidelity prototyping, and validation—to derive a set of design principles and eight Blended Collaboration Patterns (BCP) for blended f-formations and place-making in MR. The major contributions are a practice-informed design framework, eight scalable MR interaction patterns, and theoretical implications for f-formations and space-place relationships, offering a blueprint for distributed MR collaboration at scale. It highlights the need to consider multiple vantage points beyond the first-person perspective and to develop evaluation tools for real-world, large-scale MR collaboration scenarios.

Abstract

Collaborating across dissimilar, distributed spaces presents numerous challenges for computer-aided spatial communication. Mixed reality (MR) can blend selected surfaces, allowing collaborators to work in blended f-formations (facing formations), even when their workstations are physically misaligned. Since collaboration often involves more than just participant pairs, this research examines how we might scale MR experiences for large-group collaboration. To do so, this study recruited collaboration designers (CDs) to evaluate and reimagine MR for large-scale collaboration. These CDs were engaged in a four-part user study that involved a technology probe, a semi-structured interview, a speculative low-fidelity prototyping activity and a validation session. The outcomes of this paper contribute (1) a set of collaboration design principles to inspire future computer-supported collaborative work, (2) eight collaboration patterns for blended f-formations and collaboration at scale and (3) theoretical implications for f-formations and space-place relationships. As a result, this work creates a blueprint for scaling collaboration across distributed spaces.

Figures (17)

• Figure 1: Adam Kendon's F-formations: a. L-arrangement; b. face-to-face; c. side-by-side; d. semi-circular; e. rectangular marshall2011f-formationkendon2010spacing
• Figure 2: The expert workshop involved (1) a MR technology probe, (2) a semi-structured interview to understand the way CDs design physical and digital collaborative spaces, (3a) a low-fidelity speculative prototyping activity and (3b) a discussion about the prototype they made.
• Figure 3: Example of a game of tic-tac-toe played by participants during the technology probe stage. It demonstrates the two different blended f-formations: (a) side-by-side where the blended whiteboard is in front of the partners and (b) face-to-face where the blended whiteboard is between the partners.
• Figure 4: A selection of speculative low-fidelity prototypes created by collaboration designers 2, 9, 8, 6 and 4 (as pictured left to right).
• Figure 5: Collaboration space design principles synthesised by interviewing CDs about how they design physical and digital collaborative spaces. These can be categorised into three higher-order themes: flow-state, influence, and respond, with lower-order themes sitting below these.