Collaboration in remote meetings: an analysis of camera use and productivity

• Patrick Helder A. Belém Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
• João Paulo B. Glória Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) / Baiano Institute of Education, Science, and Technology (IF Baiano)
• Adriano N. de Souza Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
• Cláudio Barizon Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
• Rafael M. de Mello Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
• Adriana S. Vivacqua Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbsc.2024.238072

Abstract

The new coronavirus pandemic has directly impacted how we work, with a notable rise in the adoption of remote work. In this modality, teams regularly use video conferencing tools for remote meetings and collaboration support. This study aims to investigate the impact of camera usage on productivity and understand its influence on collaboration in remote meetings. A survey was conducted with professionals from various fields to better understand collaboration practices in remote meetings. According to the data obtained, some people believe that activating the camera improves communication, making it more complete, which can positively impact productivity in video conferences. However, the percentages of those who prefer to keep the camera off or consider it indifferent are similar. Therefore, it's not possible to conclude whether keeping cameras on or off improves productivity or not.

Keywords: collaboration in remote meetings, Camera on or off, productivity, camera use

References

Audy, J. L. N. (2007). Desenvolvimento distribuído de software. Elsevier.

Belém, P., De Mello, R., Vivacqua, A. S., & Neves De Souza, A. (2023, September). Investigating the Cognitive Load Drivers of Software Evolution Activities. In Proceedings of the XXXVII Brazilian Symposium on Software Engineering (pp. 342-347).

Bjørn, P., Esbensen, M., Jensen, R. E., & Matthiesen, S. (2014). Does distance still matter? Revisiting the CSCW fundamentals on distributed collaboration. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 21(5), 1-26.

Butler, J., & Jaffe, S. (2021, May). Challenges and gratitude: A diary study of software engineers working from home during covid-19 pandemic. In 2021 IEEE/ACM 43rd International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering in Practice (ICSE-SEIP) (pp. 362-363). IEEE.

Da Rocha, T. A., Silva, A. T., Lima, A. F. D. A., Pinheiro, A. L., Teran, L. A., & de Souza, C. R. (2022, April). Socialização em Equipes Remotas durante a Pandemia de COVID-19: Resultados de uma Pesquisa-Ação. In Anais do XVII Simpósio Brasileiro de Sistemas Colaborativos (pp. 91-104). SBC.

Ford, D., Storey, M. A., Zimmermann, T., Bird, C., Jaffe, S., Maddila, C.,... & Nagappan, N. (2021). A tale of two cities: Software developers working from home during the covid-19 pandemic. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM), 31(2), 1-37.

Karl, K. A., Peluchette, J. V., & Aghakhani, N. (2022). Virtual work meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic: The good, bad, and ugly. Small Group Research, 53(3), 343-365.

Linaker, J., Sulaman, S. M., Höst, M., & de Mello, R. M. (2015). Guidelines for conducting surveys in software engineering v. 1.1. Lund University, 50.

Lisbôa, D. A., da Rocha, T. A., Machado, L. S., Caldeira, C. M., & de Souza, C. R. (2021, April). Um Estudo Observacional sobre as Adaptações ao Trabalho Remoto no contexto da Pandemia de COVID-19. In Anais do XVI Simpósio Brasileiro de Sistemas Colaborativos (pp. 95-106). SBC.

Matthiesen, S., & Bjørn, P. (2017). When distribution of tasks and skills are fundamentally problematic: A failure story from global software outsourcing. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 1(CSCW), 1-16.

Mills, K. L. (2003). Computer-supported cooperative work. Encyclopedia of library and information science, 2, 1-34.

Neves de Souza, A., Ferreira da Silva, S. T., Baptista dos Santos França, J., Fonseca da Silva Dias, A., Oliveira, J., & Vivacqua, A. S. (2023). Communication channels and their challenges: An analysis of software development teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(GROUP), 1-26.

Oeppen, R. S., Shaw, G., & Brennan, P. A. (2020). Human factors recognition at virtual meetings and video conferencing: how to get the best performance from yourself and others. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 58(6), 643-646.

Olson, G. M., & Olson, J. S. (2000). Distance matters. Human–computer interaction, 15(2-3), 139-178.

Olson, J. S., Hofer, E. C., Bos, N., Zimmerman, A., Olson, G. M., Cooney, D., & Faniel, I. (2008). A theory of remote scientific collaboration. na.

Paranhos, R., Figueiredo Filho, D. B., da Rocha, E. C., & da Silva Junior, J. A. (2013). Corra que o survey vem aí. Noções básicas para cientistas sociais. Revista Latinoamericana de Metodología de la Investigación Social, (6), 7-24.

Phillips, S. (2020). Working through the pandemic: Accelerating the transition to remote working. Business Information Review, 37(3), 129-134.

Pimentel, M., Gerosa, M. A., Filippo, D., Raposo, A., Fuks, H., & Lucena, C. J. P. (2006). Modelo 3C de Colaboração para o desenvolvimento de Sistemas Colaborativos. Anais do III Simpósio Brasileiro de Sistemas Colaborativos, 58-67.

Rojabi, A., Setiawan, S., Munir, A., & Purwati, O. (2022). The Camera-on or Camera-off, Is it a Dilemma? Sparking Engagement, Motivation, and Autonomy Through Microsoft Teams Videoconferencing. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (IJET), 17(11), 174-189.

Shockley, K. M., Gabriel, A. S., Robertson, D., Rosen, C. C., Chawla, N., Ganster, M. L., & Ezerins, M. E. (2021). The fatiguing effects of camera use in virtual meetings: A within-person field experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(8), 1137.

Tang, J. C., Zhao, C., Cao, X., & Inkpen, K. (2011, March). Your time zone or mine? A study of globally time zone-shifted collaboration. In Proceedings of the ACM 2011 conference on Computer supported cooperative work (pp. 235-244).

Williams, K., Herman, R., & Bontempo, D. (2013). Comparing audio and video data for rating communication. Western journal of nursing research, 35(8), 1060-1073. Yin, R. K. (2016). Pesquisa qualitativa do início ao fim. Penso Editora.