The design and usage of tentative events for time-based social coordination in the enterprise

Existing enterprise calendaring systems have suffered from problems like rigidity, lack of transparency, and poor integration with social networks. We present the system design and rationale for a novel social coordination mechanism, called “Suggestions,” that addresses these issues. Our system integrates ideas drawn from designs of lightweight polling systems and one’s social network into an open calendar tool, providing a space for users to coordinate, socialize around, or negotiate the “what” and the “when” of their events. Suggestions was released inside a large enterprise setting, where initial interviews revealed users’ thoughts on transparent scheduling, reaching wider audiences and task appropriateness, and suggested ways to improve our design. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): Miscellaneous. General Terms Design, Human Factors Keywords Social software, social coordination, electronic calendars, GCS, ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: WWW
• Authors: Mikhil Masli, Werner Geyer, Casey Dugan, Beth Brownholtz
• Keywords: Internet Technology, Social, Social Coordination, Social Network, WWW 2011