Is WYSIWIS (What You See Is What I See) too rigid for multiuser interfaces? This research revisits the WYSIWIS abstraction in collaborative meeting tools, finding it crucial but inflexible when strictly enforced. Design issues and choices in first-generation meeting tools are explored. These tools illustrate inherent conflicts between individual and group needs, requiring relaxation of constraints. The paper presents examples of multiuser interfaces based on WYSIWIS, highlighting conflicts arising from shared display space and meeting time. It discusses relaxing constraints along dimensions like display space, time of display, subgroup population, and congruence of view. The results indicate that meeting tools must adapt to changing needs during process transitions, supporting subgroup dynamics and individual focus. Relaxing WYSIWIS constraints allows for more flexible and effective information sharing in collaborative settings.
ACM Transactions on Information Systems publishes research on the design, development, and evaluation of information systems. This paper, which examines the WYSIWIS abstraction in multiuser interfaces, aligns with the journal's focus on information technology and computer science. The insights and findings around meeting tools will be useful to researchers and practitioners.