Social science models and strategies for telepresence user studies

Abstract

A basic premise of the Ontario Telepresence Project is that information and communication technologies are inherently social in nature. Consequently, it is essential in the design of these technologies to take advantage of the social skills and the knowledge of social protocols that the future users alreidy possess, building on existing skills rather than demanding or forcing entirely new beiraviours. similirly, we need to incorporate an understanding of work and workplace variables in the design. The specification and elaboration of the relationships among work variables is a primary goal of our research. One size is unlikely to fit all and the successful development, adoption and diffusion of the Telepresence system must take into account existing work practices and organizational culture. The first year of ontario Telepresence Project ended on Dec. 31, 1,992. It is important, however, to note that the social sciences component only became institutionalized in the project in July 1992 when a full-time social scientist was appointed.