Solution Overview
TeamMail is a Java email client that incorporates lightweight task management functions right into your email Inbox.
TeamMail is a fully-functioning prototype, built on top of Columba, an open source Java email client.
TeamMail is unique because it targets the rarely-planned informal workflow between collaborators.
Product Demo Versions
Demo.exe 17.1mb Demo.avi 23.2mb (mpeg4 v2)
Working within your email Inbox gives TeamMail unique advantages. Since users already come to the email with task-related information in hand, TeamMail does not have to convince users to work within a separate system.
TeamMail supports the real ways in which people work. Real tasks start and end unpredictably, require a fluid group of collaborators, and often take multiple unplanned iterations in order to complete. TeamMail incorporates features to meet all of these specific and real workplace needs, scaffolding these scenarios with just enough information to be useful.
TeamMail users share documents and conversations all within the body of a single, dynamically updated email message. TeamMail users get less email, because all related conversations are channeled into the email they already have. In addition, they only have to look in a single place for any documents related to those shared tasks.
Watch the product demonstration to learn more about the features available in TeamMail or learn more about the design goals behind TeamMail.
Design Challenge
Sun Microsystems challenged our team of HCI Masters students, with backgrounds in Product Management, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, User Interface Design, and Technical Communication, to design an integrated suite of communication and collaboration tools for Sun's new Project Looking Glass desktop. The goal for this design challenge is to create a proof-of-concept prototype that provides an engaging user experience that makes communications and collaboration easier.
Our original project focus was to explore collaborative meeting tools in a 3D environment. Early on in the project, we conducted exploratory research on the 3D environment but decided to concentrate on group communications since we felt it was a question with a greater impact on Sun's customer base, and also a challenge with a greater opportunity for innovation.
We observed that while people spent time in meetings, meetings were not the primary source of work. We found that tasks were the root objects of meetings and that generating action items, preparing for a meeting, communicating and giving updates on tasks were all tasks themselves that could benefit from enhanced visibility.
With this in mind, we set out to develop a prototype that would make collaboration easier and more effective for knowledge workers.
