Practical Applications of Low-cost Network-Based
Video: Beyond Videoconferencing as a Substitute for Face-To-Face
David Beckemeyer
©2009, D. Beckemeyer
For many years, video research has
concentrated on videoconferencing as a substitute for face-to-face meetings.
Videoconferencing systems are usually justified on the basis of increased
productivity or cost-cutting as a direct result of a presumed reduction in
travel. While there have been a number of successful installations and applications
of videoconferencing, on the whole, the technology has failed to provide the
anticipated benefits.
The literature offers a great number of reasons for
it, but the fact is, videoconferencing as a substitute for face-to-face
communication has never met expectations. Despite all the research in support
of this conclusion, as well as the extremely low market acceptance of the
technology in the commercial marketplace, vendors continue to focus their
efforts on the substitution model.
The present work totally abandons video as a
substitute for face-to-face communication, and in fact suggests uses that are
not videoconferencing, in any existing sense, at all. Further, we conclude that
another common application of videoconferencing, that implemented by most
desktop software, specifically the person-to-person video call, is nearly void
of utility, particularly for business communications.
Nor does the present work propose videoconferencing as
a replacement for other technologies, such as telephony, but rather it suggests
that video applications can augment and support other communication
technologies and tools, rather than replace them.
This paper considers only
low-quality video (4-10 frames per second, low resolution) available with
low-cost video cameras and requiring only moderate bandwidth (64Kbit/s).
Technology limitations, cost considerations, and restricted network bandwidth
make it critical that we understand the utility of low quality video.
Video for enhanced presence status is proposed as a key application of video. In this
application, we refer to video-only, without audio. Audio and other media are considered separate
applications. In the case of audio, the typical tool is a telephone, which of
course in many real-world cases may be using VoIP, but it is considered
distinct and separate for the purposes of the video applications presented.
For three decades we have been
conditioned to think of video in the context of videoconferencing and in comparison
with other teleconferencing technology, usually considering face-to-face as the
pinnacle of communications. Videoconferencing has mostly been examined as a
substitute for face-to-face communication rather than as a distinct medium with
unique characteristics. Users were expected to apply existing skills and
practices to videoconferencing. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that this
approach has been unsuccessful. While the reasons for this are many, a few of
them include:
¥ inability to have side conversations
during a meeting
¥ false assumptions that video
provides useful non-verbal communication, such as gaze, expression and posture
¥ dialogue requires more
structure to ensure people do not talk over each other
¥ cost benefit cannot be made
on the basis of reduced travel expenses or increased productivity
¥ video can detract from the communication process if video is
accompanied by a reduction in audio quality or audio delays
¥ self-consciousness about
Ôbeing on TVÕ
The evidence is clear that even
high quality audio and video do not replicate the rich nature of face-to-face
communication. By considering video on its own terms rather than as a lower
form of communication, we avoid most of the above common pitfalls.
Video can be used to provide
information about group memberÕs availability for communication. Video can provide fine-grained presence and
availability information beyond that available with the icon-annotated lists of
a typical Instant Messaging (IM) system.
The video buddy-list would typically represent a sub-set of oneÕs
traditional IM buddy-list. People in daily contact stand to benefit from
sharing a video signal for enhanced presence status, while people who only
occasionally interact may not.
In a co-located setting, people rely on visual
information to determine availability of others. Consider the office door.
People glance into an office to check availability, but they follow established
social protocols before entering the office. Video naturally builds on these
social mechanisms, where the same kinds of familiar visual cues apply.
Supporting technology, such as text chat, along with the video signal, can also
facilitate these social negotiations of privacy and availability.
It is important to note that the
office door analogy implies that the video camera be positioned to provide a
general view of the office and workspace, rather than a close-up talking-heads
view. The information we are interested in is not gaze, expression, or body
language of the party, but information such as whether they are on the phone,
busy in a meeting, or otherwise occupied.
Studies of workplace communication
show that most interactions occur spontaneously for short periods of time.
These unplanned interactions occur naturally when group members are co-located.
Despite research from various disciplines showing the value of these informal
interactions, evidence indicates that people in the workplace do not recognize
their value. Workers tend to overuse formal arranged meetings and underutilize
impromptu communication relative to their value. Data indicates that without
visual information about the availability of others, connection failure is
high. More than 60% of business phone calls fail to reach their intended
recipient. The enhanced presence status provided by video increases the chances
of successfully initiating an unplanned connection with a remote coworker,
thereby increasing the frequency of these highly productive interactions as a
natural consequence.
Of course, awareness trades off
against privacy. Users must be able to control the access to their video
signal. Just as one can shut their office door, they must be able to turn off
or block access to their video signal as needed.
The video buddy-list is essentially a list of persistent video sessions
shared between group members. It approximates some aspects of sharing the same
physical office, so that informal communications can be started with minimal
effort between connected participants, and visual information about
communication availability is persistently available. If a potential recipient
is out of their office, the caller can monitor the always-on video channel, and
establish the communication when they return, ensuring that a vital
communication takes place.
People have been reluctant to maintain a persistent
always-on session using prior technologies such as the telephone or traditional
videoconferencing, knowing that this makes them unavailable for potentially
important calls from other users. The video buddy-list concept avoids this problem. It does not tie up the
telephone and allows parallel communication, including Instant Messaging or other
communication vehicles.
In most business settings,
interaction within oneÕs group represents the vast majority of daily
communications, but on occasion a worker needs to communicate with someone from
a neighboring team or the executive layer above. The enhanced presence
status application allows users to
reach out to temporarily show members of neighboring departments. A glance
feature lets a user establish a temporary video connection with another user to
check availability, without cluttering the primary video buddy-list with these
ad hoc connections.
The prototype video buddy-list application integrates with several other business
systems. These include a Jabber instant messaging infrastructure, on-line
corporate directory (LDAP), and a corporate Intranet (web applications). As a
result, the video buddy-list
application is aware of the organizational structure as well as project and
team organization, which can simplify creation of buddy lists and groups, and
streamline the process of locating co-workers.
Clicking on a video buddy can open a Jabber instant
messaging session, or open that employeeÕs corporate directory page in a
browser, showing a photo of the employee, contact information, department
information, and other information as appropriate.
The performance of work groups is
closely tied to interactions that foster group cohesion. The quality and
frequency of personal interactions among group members has been demonstrated to
have a direct impact on performance of the group. Physical proximity
facilitates frequent interpersonal interaction among group members. Splitting
groups across two floors of the same building can have a negative affect on
group dynamics, yet in practice, groups are often distributed across campuses,
cities, or states.
When team or group members are geographically
distributed, video for enhanced presence status can provide significant qualitative value to group
interactions, facilitating more frequent collaboration. Research suggests that
such richer interactions lead to higher quality results and improved group
productivity.
This work indicates that video for enhanced
presence status, in particular,
persistent video sessions (always-on video), offers significant value in
approximating conditions of physical proximity for remote co-workers and in
facilitating informal communications that improve group cohesiveness and
effectiveness.