Co-Designing Multimodal Tools for Radically Mobile Hybrid Meetings

Abstract

Hybrid meetings have become common practice in collaborative work environments. However, they are constrained by the fixed spatial configurations of videoconferencing technology. This limits opportunities for mobile and spontaneous interactions; qualities that are critical to successful collaboration. In this paper, we explore the concept of radically mobile hybrid meetings. Our work investigates the design space of multimodal devices as mobile alternatives to traditional videoconferencing. We conducted three group co-design sessions, where participants prototyped mobile hybrid meeting technologies to explore how such meetings could be supported. From these workshops, we derive design fictions envisioning future uses of these technologies, which we evaluate with a questionnaire to spark reflections on future mobile hybrid collaboration tools and practices. We contribute an initial exploration of the design space for radically mobile hybrid meetings, laying the groundwork for developing tools that enable spontaneous, effective, and inclusive collaboration in hybrid mobile settings.