Working remotely can be challenging, but a project can be successful by creating a schedule, planning well and using the powerful collaborative tools available. This is how my teammates and I completed our remote study of Car Infotainment Systems.
Tools for Remote Collaborative Work:
The collaborative tools that we applied to our project were a significant part of successfully completing the project. Microsoft Teams was used for video calls and text chats, which allowed us to keep in touch and up-to-date. We agreed to meet at least once a week and discuss the work that had been done. This ensured that we all stayed on schedule and had our work completed. We also used Teams to work together live while editing files and creating presentations. Now that we have used video conferencing tools like Teams and met in groups, we are more prepared for working in industry where conference calls are commonplace.
The collaborative whiteboard tool Mural was used for our brainstorming sessions as it allowed us to work together live. Having an open space to work on instead of a vertically limited text document makes a big difference as you have more freedom to explore your ideas.
Google Drive was used to keep all our text files and presentations in one place. We could also collaborate live while creating our report and presentation.
The collaborative whiteboard tool Mural was used for our brainstorming sessions as it allowed us to work together live. Having an open space to work on instead of a vertically limited text document makes a big difference as you have more freedom to explore your ideas.
Google Drive was used to keep all our text files and presentations in one place. We could also collaborate live while creating our report and presentation.
The ability to edit files live is one of the core aspect of remote group work. We can all see what has been done and what is being done in real-time, which is as close to working face-to-face as you can get. All the tools that we applied to our project are powerful skills that we now have to apply to our future work.
Microsoft Teams, Mural and Google Drive.
One of the most challenging aspects of remote group work is scheduling a meeting. All group members may not be available at the same time, which is understandable as we can’t be available all the time. What I learned is that you must give an approximate time and allow all members to respond with times they are available. Then do your best to work with people’s availabilities. All members may not be available, but the group should still meet, and anyone who cannot attend can catch up later using the updated information in the collaborative documents.
The takeaway from this project is that remote work has its challenges, but if you plan ahead, maintain regular communication and use the tools at your disposal, you can complete a project remotely to the same standard as if you were meeting in person. By applying these techniques and skills, our group successfully researched, ideated and prototyped a concept to reduce driver distraction in cars.
Prototype: Textures added to a touchscreen to reduce driver distraction.