Tele-Board: Enabling Efficient Collaboration In Digital Design Spaces Across Time and Distance

Abstract

Design Thinking is an approach for innovative problemsolving.Atypical characteristic of this approach involves multidisciplinary teams and the extensive use of tangible tools such as sticky notes, whiteboards and all kinds of prototyp- ing materials.When team members try to collaborate from separate locations their traditionalway of working becomes nearly impossible. A number of computer sup- ported collaborative work systems exist, but there still lacks acceptable support for teams applying methods likeDesign Thinking.We have created an environment that allows these teams to work together efficiently across distances, without having to change their working modes. The Tele-Board prototype combines video conferenc- ing with a synchronized whiteboard transparent overlay. This unique setup enables regionally separated team members to simultaneously manipulate artifacts while seeing each other’s gestures and facial expressions. Our system’s flexible architec- ture maximizes hardware independence by supporting a diverse selection of input devices. User feedback has confirmed that the Tele-Board system is a good basis to further enable collaborative creativity across distances while retaining the essential feeling of working together.