Human-Computer Interaction -- INTERACT'03 M. Rauterberg et al. (Eds.) Published by IOS Press, (c) IFIP, 2003, pp. 479-486 Creating New User Experiences to Enhance Collaboration John Halloran 1 , Yvonne Rogers 1 , Tom Rodden 2 & Ian Taylor 2 1 Interact Lab, School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH, UK. 2 School of Computer Science and Information Technology, University of Nottingham, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham NG1 8BB, UK. {johnhall, yvonner}@cogs.susx.ac.uk, {tar, imt}@cs.nott.ac.uk Abstract: When technologies are introduced into collaborative settings, people are often required to work to- gether in new, unfamiliar ways. This can lead to problems of resistance, and even non-adoption. Conscious of this issue, we have developed a system which is designed to support collaboration, not through any major change to the work process, but rather by improving people’s experience of working together. Here we report on a system designed to support the collaborative use of information accessed by salesperson and customer during the early stages of a sales transaction. The system, embedded in a shared worktable, promotes a number of new user experiences, changing the way people are able to meet, sit together, communicate, and represent what they are discussing. We found that the new user experiences enhance collaboration, supporting the work process while avoiding problems of resistance. Keywords: User experience, user resistance, work process, collaboration, adoption, sales transaction 1 Introduction New technologies for collaboration rarely meet with immediate acceptance. User resistance can arise for a number of reasons. For example, workflows that are slowed down by changes to systems can affect performance measures and bonuses, leading to staff resentment. On top of this, new systems can some- times force people to be accountable and inspectable in ways they previously were not (Benamati et al, 1997). Changes to work processes represented by new systems may also incur new divisions of labour which are perceived as unfair if those that get the benefit of a system are different to those who need to do the work (Grudin, 1988). In some areas, pro- posed solutions can be unfeasible, since they may overlook aspects of the work that are essential (Bentley et al, 1992). There can be learning over- heads and usability problems without apparent workarounds (Bødker, 1999). Or a previous system may simply have been well-liked (Rogers, 1994). Potential solutions to the problem of user resis- tance include workplace studies to find out what people actually do in detail, and to identify areas where resistance is likely to happen (ibid.); partici- pant design, which includes all stakeholders in sys- tem development from an early stage (see e.g. Preece et al, 2002), and mediation (Okamura et al, 1994), whereby third parties are on hand to guide implementation, train, or lead attitudes and adoption. Another solution is to recommend limited, incre- mental change (e.g. Bentley et al, op. cit.). All these approaches share a tacit assumption: when we think about supporting collaborative work with new systems, this involves altering people’s jobs. While it seems likely that new systems will always involve some degree of change to work processes, what we are interested in is the extent to which this could be minimised: how far collabora- tive work might be supported by new systems that concentrate, first, on changing the user experience. What do we mean by ‘user experience’? This can refer to usability, where users are engaged, and their needs met, by well-designed interfaces (e.g. Donoghue, 2002). Equally, novel multimedia can make using a system fun and entertaining (Douglas & Hargadon, 2000). New kinds of user experience of socialising and interacting are increasingly preva-