GroupMind: Supporting Brainstorming Through a Collaborative Mind-mapping Tool

Student: Patrick C. Shih, UC Irvine/ISR, David Nguyen, UC Irvine/ISR

Collaborator: Sen Hirano, UC Irvine, Gillian Hayes, UC Irvine/BSICS

Advisor: David F. Redmiles, UC Irvine/ISR

Abstract:

Collaborative brainstorming is a challenging but important part of creative group problem solving. Mind-mapping, a tree-like diagram used to represent related ideas and themes using interconnected nodes, has the potential to enhance the brainstorming process but has its own challenges when used in a group. We introduce GroupMind, a collaborative mindmapping tool that addresses these challenges and opens new opportunities for creative teamwork, including brainstorming. We present a controlled evaluation of GroupMind and its impact on team work, problem-solving and collaboration for brainstorming activities. GroupMind performs better than using a traditional whiteboard in both interaction group and nominal group settings. We also present design ideas to assist in the development of future tools to support creative problem solving in groups.

Bio:

Patrick Shih is a PhD student in the Department of Informatics at UCI. Patrick obtained his Master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University and his Bachelor's from UCLA. Prior to joining UCI, he worked in the User Sciences & Experience Research (USER) lab at IBM Almaden Research Center (ARC) in San Jose, CA. His research interests lie in the areas of Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW), Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and Ubiquitous Computing (ubicomp).