Gaver (1996) - AFFORDANCES FOR INTERACTION THE SOCIAL IS MATERIAL FOR DESIGN
Why it matters
This paper helps me think about how communication systems shape interaction between players. Predictability and control over what someone can see are relevant to my research, whether the final project is a co-op video game or a physical interface.
My summary
Predictability
When people cannot tell what a communication system or another person is doing, they must explain and check things explicitly. More conversation can therefore indicate difficulty coordinating rather than better collaboration.
Virtual Window
The Virtual Window lets users explore a remote room by moving their heads to control a camera. Participants could adjust their view of objects without verbally asking their partner to move them, supporting coordination through movement.
Useful ideas / quotes
- The meaning of silence depends partly on what people expect from the communication system.
- Controlling your viewpoint can help coordination happen without words.
- A feature intended to enable movement can discourage it when its behavior is unpredictable.
Questions for my thesis
- Does a constraint encourage meaningful interaction, or merely force players to clarify basic information?
- Who should control the camera in a video-call game: the viewer, the person being viewed, or both?
type: source status: read tags:
- affordances
- constrained-communication
- remote-collaboration
- video-mediated-interaction
- predictability
