Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
CoScribe: A Platform for Paper-based
Knowledge Work
In the first chapters of this topic, we have set up a theoretical basis for understand-
ing, analyzing and designing Pen-and-Paper User Interfaces. This comprises the
affordances of paper (Chapter 1), prior systems (Chapter 2) and a theoretical inter-
action model (Chapter 3). This fourth chapter and the following chapters serve the
purpose of developing a concrete interaction concept that is based on these theoret-
ical underpinnings. The present chapter provides a high-level overview of the entire
concept. The following three chapters will then detail on more specific paper-based
interaction techniques.
We present CoScribe, an interaction concept and system that supports knowledge
workers in dealing with the ever increasing amount of information. Scientists and
engineers have early addressed this problem domain, generating such influential vi-
sions as those of Vannevar Bush [12] and Ted Nelson [102]. CoScribe addresses this
challenge from a paper-centric perspective. It includes novel interaction techniques
that tightly integrate the physical world of printed documents and the world of dig-
ital documents by offering support for active reading and integration of knowledge
from various sources. In addition CoScribe exemplifies how our interaction model,
introduced in the previous chapter, transfers to concrete interaction techniques.
CoScribe is largely motivated by results of workplace studies presented in the
literature - most important is Sellen and Harper's seminal work [131] - and by a
number of field studies that we conducted in our own research. We analyzed how
university students use paper and digital media during and after courses, including
a questionnaire-based study [145], a contrasting analysis of handwritten and type-
written course notes [143] and an analysis of media use during co-located meetings
[144]. Based upon the theoretical interaction model that was presented in the pre-
vious chapter, CoScribe takes on an integrated, ecology-centered viewpoint. This
means that CoScribe focuses on the interdependencies between (multiple) users,
physical and digital artifacts and practices in a given work setting. As a conse-
quence, our concept puts high emphasis on multi-document activities and on col-
laboration support. We present a set of interaction techniques and visualizations
that enable both co-located and remote asynchronous collaboration around paper.
We show examples of Pen-and-Paper Interfaces that are built using the core inter-
