Use of widgets as information management tools in online shared spaces

Online shared spaces are destinations where people of common interests interact to achieve common goals or borrow each other's expertise for personal pursuits. Due to a multitude of users, such spaces generate large amounts of content, thus creating a potential for information overload. To deal with it, users of online shared spaces develop information management strategies that frequently involve the use of information technology. In this paper we present a case study of the use of widgets as information management tools in uCern, an online shared workspace where healthcare industry stakeholders get involved in various types of interactions. To understand how widgets served the purpose of information management and whether they were considered useful, we administered an online questionnaire (n = 183) followed by qualitative interviews (n = 5). Data analysis revealed that study participants used widgets as tools that promoted their situation and activity awareness of events and activities going on in uCern and helped them with organizing and accessing the content in a quick and efficient manner. We also describe issues associated with the use of widgets and their usefulness as reported by participants and propose implications for design and development of online shared spaces in relation to information management tools.