Going public: Collaborative systems design for multidisciplinary conversations

Abstract

The driving idea behind our work has been the concept of going public with the goal of supporting the emerging work practices of multidisciplinary teams. In this chapter, we outline the theoretical basis for going public, describe the underlying architecture of a public collaborative system and introduce two embodiments, the Design Conference Room™ and the Collaborative Classroom™. The underlying architecture of a public collaborative system, overlaid with lines of view, sight, and control, provides system-sharing functionality via the Reconfigurable Collaboration Network™, supporting fully collaborative conversations, with their trajectory of work processes from private, to public, and back again. Innovations are described in the disciplinary domains of architecture, computer science, and communication.