Taking lessons from teleconference to improve same time, same place interaction

Performance on an information gathering task is shown to be superior in teleconference. Analysis of errors in an exercise revealed the data sources used in co-located and teleconference scenarios. The use of a visual display for text data, in addition to the audio source, is demonstrated in both co-located and teleconference discussions. Audio was used as a source of information more frequently in teleconference which resulted in an overall improvement in task performance. The lesson learned from the higher performance in teleconference, can be applied to improve performance at co-located meetings. Providing appropriate visual data together within audio enhanced spaces can be expected to improve the communication event and reduce medical errors. Results support proposals for the incorporation of physical spaces to improve communication in everyday work in cooperative workplaces, such as hospitals.