The Effects of Update Interval and Reveal Method on Writer Comfort in Synchronized Shared-Editors

Synchronized shared-editors like Google Docs allow people to write together, but there is no “privacy of writing” which can make writers feel uncomfortable. We propose methods to give writers more control over when and how their edits are shown to collaborators to increase comfort. These are in the form of different update strategies composed of an update interval and a reveal method. Results from an experiment with simulated observers show that alternative update strategies can be beneficial, each having their own pros and cons. A follow-up experiment with writer and observer pairs validates these findings and shows that observers are amenable to experiencing short delays caused by alternative update strategies. Our work shows that synchronous writing tools should support alternative update strategies that preserve both collaborator awareness and writer comfort.