VideoCafé
The VideoCafé project started with a proposal between two research labs that were interested in fostering a new joint research program to virtually connect public places using video-mediated communication. The idea of providing a public mediaspace was based on the assumption that such a space could facilitate informal community building. We theorized that this would benefit individuals by enabling them to take an active part in discussions and influence future plans and activities. In the project, we built and assessed several different social places between the two research labs, each of which was augmented with a mediaspace installation. This environment is commonly referred to within the labs as the VideoCafé. Technically the VideoCafé is a rather simple but (very) high quality videoconferencing system that continuously links the two labs with audio and video.
The VideoCafé project is described both from a design perspective as well technical perspective in Tollmar, Chincholle, Klasson and Stephanson (2001). Junestrand and Tollmar (1998) provide an extended argument about deploying mediaspaces in domestic environments where the VideoCafé is used as an example.
Our main approach towards finding suitable installations was done through a design of a series of installations that put a focus on ‘reflective dialog’. In our study, we have so far set up eight different prototypes of the VideoCafé environment. Each setting has been evaluated by being put into practical use for several months. We have continually advocated informal group discussions to collect anecdotes and general viewpoints about the system. These informal evaluations were supplemented by asking participants how the VideoCafé has affected their patterns of relationships and their communications with people at both labs. This reflective design of the VideoCafé environment allowed us to collect and store different experiences that we could implement later in our next generation of prototypes. This approach is what we refer to as ‘design-in-use’.