Working with Objects in Collaborative Virtual Environments

My thesis used 'interaction analysis' to inform the design of Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs). For my purposes, interaction analysis here means some kind of conversation analytic stance using video data, made overly formal in deriving computer systems designs. So sue me.

CVEs are distributed communications technologies, allowing multiple users to log into a 3D graphical computer generated world, and communicate by transmitting audio and graphical updates to the world. The thesis investigated 'object-focused interaction' in CVEs i.e. how visible elements of the local (virtual) environment are invoked in action between participants. This PhD sits firmly in the 'design' category of CSCW, although I also demonstrate respecifications of CVE notions of 'object', 'subjectivity', and so on, as local, practical achievements in users' interaction.

Supervisors: Steve Benford and Christian Heath.

Examiners: John Bowers and David Brailsford.

Download the whole thesis or browse the contents below (all in PDF format):

• Whole thesis (~1.9Mb)
  
  
  • Abstract
  • Ch.1 - Introduction
  • Ch.2 - Literature Review
  • Ch.3 - Disposition and Data
  • Ch.4 - Furniture World I
  • Ch.5 - Design Implementation
  • Ch.6 - Furniture World II
  • Ch.7 - Contributions and Findings
  • Ch.8 - Conclusions
  • Appendices
  • References