Environment of collaborative design

Generally, professionals communicate their theories and design ideas/solutions through their achievements in the built environment. Individual design professionals have to tune their personal understanding of design content to achieve a shared understanding, and to propose a conceptual design within a team (Valkenburg & Dorst, 1998 cited in Gül & Maher, 2009) through an appropriate communication form and channels. The communication forms can be verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication is the transition of messages through the written or spoken words, while non-verbal communication does not include words but instead incorporates signals, symbols, or drawings (Taleb, Ismail, & Wahab, 2017). In terms of the

communication channel, an appropriately selected channel can encourage a design team to achieve their goal/s. In collaborative design, these can be categorised under two main channels (Gül & Maher, 2009; Lee, 2010), which are:

• Face-to-face communication: This channel is one of traditional communication channels. Face-to-face communication enables the sender and receiver to hear and see a non-verbal communication, such as body language and expression, and respond with immediate feedback (Lee, 2010). This channel claims to be effective and to fit with negotiation and the solving of intellective problems (problems that have correct answers) (Hollingshead, McGrath, & O’Connor, 1993, cited in Hatem, Kwan, & Miles, 2012). However, without recording or translating verbal messages into text or illustrations, the information is lost forever (Gabriel, 2000). In addition, this channel consumes time when used to communicate in team collaboration (Hatem et al., 2012), such as a meeting.

• Computer-mediated communication: This channel is based on the use of computers and ICT-Information and Communication Technology for data exchange. Computer-mediated communication has developed since mid-1990s and now provides an interactive channel allowing users to communicate with each other through two-way communication. This is an inexpensive way of information-seeking (Miller, 2009 cited in Lee, 2010). According to experiments by Hatem et al. (2012), this channel is more efficient than face-to-face communication in terms of productivity and time.

o Audio-video computer-mediated communication channel: This channel is based on the use of audio and video, and supports remote communication. It includes video conferencing systems, videophones, and telecommunications applications.

Tang and Issacs (1993, p.193 cited in Gabriel, 2000) concluded that audio is more critical, and high-quality audio is more important than high-quality video. This channel can be substituted for face-to-face interaction when making decisions (Credé & Sniezek, 2003).

o Text-based computer-mediated communication channel: This channel of computer-mediated communication is based on the use of text in synchronous and asynchronous communication. The use of text and chat as synchronous interaction is more knowledge-rich and task-oriented (Hatem et al., 2012). In addition, Gergle, Millen, Kraut, and Fussell (2004) confirmed that a dialogue history increases efficient communication, which leads to faster and better task performance. For

asynchronous interaction, this channel provides slow feedback, but can offer the same advantages.

The use of different communication channels, such as those mentioned, produces different collaborative environments (Gabriel, 2000, cited in Gül & Maher, 2009). These collaborative environments depend on the location conditions; whether individuals are in a different or the same place, at different or the same time, (Germani, Mengoni, & Peruzzini, 2012). These are appropriately selected to facilitate the collaborative design team. The collaborative design environments can be categorised by location, specifically co-location and de-location:

• Co-located Collaboration: This environment provides collaborative design in the same physical location. It enables informal communication and provides adequate environmental conditions for decision-making, collaboration, trust between team members, and effective interpersonal relationships (Zenun, Loureiro, & Araujo, 2007).

This can be categorised through the follow:

o Co-located and Synchronous Collaboration: The collaborative design team works closely together and is involved in directed interaction in the same place and at the same time (Germani et al., 2012). The face-to-face communication channel is used to communicate in physical meetings, which are based on the physical exchange of documents, and on verbal and non-verbal discussion.

o Co-located and Asynchronous Collaboration: This refers to the activities of routine design that occur inside the same workplace (Germani et al., 2012). The distance between team members should be no more than 25-30 metres. (Thomson, Stone, & Ion, 2007). In this environment, face-to-face and computer-mediated communication channels can be chosen (as appropriate) for communication, dependent on the collaborative design situation.

• De-located Collaboration: De-located or remote collaboration enables remote designers to share information with team members through computer-mediated communication channels. This environment includes routine design in the same workplace, at a distance of more than 30 metres (Thomson et al., 2007), or on different floors, buildings, and sites. This can be categorised by the following time condition:

o De-located and Synchronous Collaboration: This refers to the activity of collaboration, which supports relevant de-located professionals to remotely communicate through computer-mediated communication channels, such as

simultaneous and spontaneous video conferencing from another location (Germani et al., 2012).

o De-located and Asynchronous Collaboration: This refers to the activities of routine design, which involves multiple companies or other professionals in different workplace locations (Germani et al., 2012). A text-based, computer-mediated communication channel is chosen to communicate in this environment, such as chat, a discussion board, or email in this environment.

Usually, traditional collaboration is based on a co-located and synchronous collaboration typically face-to-face meetings and directed interactions between relevant professionals and other stakeholders in form of discussion and the physical exchange of information. Co-location can be referred to as a setting designed to resolve a project issue in real time, such as a co-location office which provides a large enough space for relevant stakeholders to closely collaborate using an IT infrastructure and to adopt a face-to-face communication channel (Thompson & Ozbek, 2012). Co-location collaboration can refer to working together in the same place and depending on time, can be either synchronized and asynchronized. Co-located and asynchronous collaboration is generally the activity of routine design in organisations between 25-30 metres.

In the most cases, a large number of professionals work together, but in different workplaces or firms. De-location collaboration refers to remote collaboration or de-located and synchronous/asynchronous collaboration, where relevant professionals can work remotely together in different workplaces or at distances of more than 30 metres in the same workplace.

Thus, a computer-mediated communication channel is necessary to communicate in collaborative design.