Computer-Supported Cooperative Work- Concepts and Trends

Abstract: The research field Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is concerned with understanding social interaction and the design, development, and evaluation of technical systems supporting social interaction in teams and communities – or in other words it is about researching the use of computer-based technology for supporting collaboration. The field was coined in the 1980th by researchers from computer science, information science and social science. In this paper we will briefly introduce CSCW – its concepts and current trends- and thereby focus on the role of Informatics in the field – from application integration to ubiquitous user interfaces.