A Case Study of Cooperative Design Using Video Conference

In this case study we observed an experimental cooperative design project: a parking lot design using a video conference system. Twelve graduate students of planning and design were divided into two teams for landscape design and traffic planning. They used ProShareTM, a computer-supported video conference system, to co-design at two separate rooms. We used video equipment to record this conference for a detailed analysis. Some experiences on using this system are described. The results indicate the relationships within the work organization, physical workplace and cooperative design. We argued that this workplace becomes more important, even though much research has put emphasis on the cyberspace in cooperative design. The team membersi tacit protocol has importance, but it does not guarantee any resolution of conflicts. This cooperative design is not only a social process, but also a logic of iterative verifications and falsifications. It is dangerous to construct a theory of computer-supported cooperative design simply based on this case study, however, such an observation could be the first step towards the theory.