Zhu Siyi, Vennemeyer Scott, Xu Catherine, Wu Danny T Y
Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
School of Design, College of Design Architecture, Art, and Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
JAMIA Open. 2023 Feb 27;6(1):ooad010. doi: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooad010. eCollection 2023 Apr.
This study aimed to understand how a metaverse-based (virtual) workspace can be used to support the communication and collaboration in an academic health informatics lab.
A survey of lab members (n = 14) was analyzed according to a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design. The qualitative survey data were organized according to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior (COM-B) model and combined to generate personas that represent the overall types of lab members. Additionally, scheduled work hours were analyzed quantitatively to complement the findings of the survey feedback.
Four personas, representative of different types of virtual workers, were developed using the survey responses. These personas reflected the wide variety of opinions about virtual work among the participants and helped to categorize the most common feedback. The Work Hours Schedule Sheet analysis showed the low number of possible collaboration opportunities that were utilized compared to the number available.
We found that informal communication and co-location were not supported by the virtual workplace as we had originally planned. To solve this issue, we offer 3 design recommendations for those looking to implement their own virtual informatics lab. First, labs should establish common goals and norms for virtual workplace interactions. Second, labs should carefully plan the virtual space layout to maximize communication opportunities. Finally, labs should work with their platform of choice to address technical limitations for their lab members to improve user experience. Future work includes a formal, theory-guided experiment with consideration on ethical and behavioral impact.
本研究旨在了解基于元宇宙的（虚拟）工作空间如何用于支持学术健康信息学实验室中的沟通与协作。
根据并发三角测量混合方法设计，对实验室成员（n = 14）进行了一项调查分析。定性调查数据根据能力、机会、动机、行为（COM-B）模型进行整理，并结合起来生成代表实验室成员总体类型的人物角色。此外，对预定工作时间进行了定量分析，以补充调查反馈的结果。
利用调查回复开发了四个代表不同类型虚拟工作者的人物角色。这些人物角色反映了参与者对虚拟工作的广泛意见，并有助于对最常见的反馈进行分类。工作时间安排表分析显示，与可用的协作机会数量相比，实际利用的协作机会数量较少。
我们发现虚拟工作场所并未如我们最初计划的那样支持非正式沟通和同地办公。为了解决这个问题，我们为那些希望建立自己的虚拟信息学实验室的人提供了三条设计建议。首先，实验室应为虚拟工作场所的互动制定共同目标和规范。其次，实验室应精心规划虚拟空间布局，以最大限度地增加沟通机会。最后，实验室应与所选平台合作，解决实验室成员的技术限制，以改善用户体验。未来的工作包括进行一项正式的、理论指导的实验，并考虑伦理和行为影响。
