Real-time Text and IM

Abstract

Real-time, character-by-character display of messages in a text-based synchronous communication system such as instant messaging (IM) can potentially lead to better communication than more traditional styles of text-display by simulating spoken dialogue through text. This research has attempted to empirically verify that real-time text display affords a truly better simulation of spoken dialogue than the standard style of text display, in which keyboard status information is displayed to interlocutors until a message has been completed. Three experiments have been conducted to look at the effect of real-time text on turn-taking, typing ability, affect towards the interface, collaborative completion, self-editing, information- sharing and communication effectiveness, and multitasking. In the first experiment, it was observed that real-time text led to better turn-taking and less self-editing. Real-time text did not influence typing ability or affect, and collaborative completion was not well supported. In the second experiment, the use of real-time text did not result in better information sharing and problem solving in a hidden profile task, although some peculiarities in the data raised new questions about how people communicate when using real-time text. In the third experiment, real-time text did not deter from effective multitasking. From this data, important design considerations for text-based CMC have been outlined.