| File sharing is an integral part of computer-based collaboration that requires careful management of access, to permit teamwork while protecting confidentiality. Existing file managers provide limited functionality to support user awareness regarding shared files, leading to unchecked errors and difficulties in keeping track of shared items. The question is: how can we provide better support for awareness, to assist with file sharing?;A review of the research literature revealed that little information existed about sharing practices. Two surveys were conducted to characterize file sharing. The surveys found that people need information about file sharing activity and to keep track of dynamic file settings, and confirmed that privacy and security are important. From past work, it is evident that users are unaware of many activities that occur on their shared files, which can hinder both security and collaboration.;Providing file sharing information is a two-fold challenge: (1) what information needs to be presented about shared files? (2) how can that information be presented in a clear and understandable way? These questions were addressed through a file sharing awareness framework, adapted from an existing awareness model, which provided the theoretical foundation for design. It identified elements (feedthrough, individualized views, and notifications) essential for improving awareness of shared files. These elements were instantiated in a design for a file manager that displays file sharing information. Using a series of design studies, a set of icons and terms was established to represent file-sharing concepts, which were integrated in the final design.;The file-sharing manager was compared with a control file manager (Windows Explorer-like) in a within-subjects design laboratory experiment. Participants (n=28) completed tasks, which involved answering questions about shared files, using both the control and the file-sharing managers. The file-sharing manager led to greater efficiency and effectiveness for a number of tasks, and provided new functionality that allowed users to discover information about shared files that was previously unavailable to them. Participants were more satisfied with the file-sharing manager, and demonstrated likely intention-to-use. These research findings suggest that presenting clear, readily-accessible information about shared files is a beneficial approach for supporting shared file management. |
