The Cartoon Room

The goal of this project was to re-think how co-working spaces operate in a virtualized world. How can we feel the positive effects of collaborative spaces, such as motivation, when we are working remotely?

The primary concern of virtual co-working identified by surveyed remote collaborators was maintaining connection while also ensuring privacy. The primary solution to co-working remotely was passive video streams, however this was reported to feel generally invasive as it felt like a method of surveillence when used regularly.

Ultimately, users were able to feel the positive effects of collaborative spaces while participating remotely, without the need for a continuous webcam stream. Users that tested the prototype reported greater motivation, team affiliation, and trust when compared to no access to a collaborative platform and a significant decrease in anxiety and feelings of invasiveness when compared to co-presence via live video streams.