PHONE-BASED CSCW - TOOLS AND TRIALS

Telephones are the most ubiquitous, best-networked, and simplest compu ter terminals available today. They have been used for voice mail but largely overlooked as a platform for asynchronous cooperative-work app lications such as event calendars, issue discussions, and question-and -answer gathering. HyperVoice is a software toolkit for constructing s uch applications. Its building blocks are high-level presentation form ats for collections of structured voice messages. The presentation for mats can themselves be presented and manipulated, enabling significant customization of applications by phone. Results of two held trials su ggest social-context factors that will influence the success or failur e of phone-based cooperative work applications in particular settings.