Title: Tabula: a web-based coordination tool integrating task structure overviews and minimalist task workspaces

Authors: Victor Kaptelinin; Patrik Björnfot

Addresses: Department of Informatics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden ' Department of Informatics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden

Abstract: The paper describes the design, implementation, and tentative evaluation of a web-based coordination tool named Tabula. The tool employs a shared representation that has the form of a task/participant table. Individual cells of the table are designed as minimalist interactive workspaces, each supporting a particular user in performing a particular task. Integrating overviews of the overall structure of participants' tasks with task management features within a single representation is intended to help the user identify pending tasks, facilitate access to task-related resources, and support an automatic update of projects' visual representations. A prototype of the tool has been evaluated within an informal web-based course. The results of the evaluation are discussed.

Keywords: web-based course management; web-based coordination; task workspaces; everyday contexts; CSCW; computer-supported cooperative work; task structure overviews; task management; informal web-based courses.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWET.2013.057227

International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology, 2013 Vol.8 No.3, pp.250 - 263

Published online: 31 Mar 2014 *

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