I Can't Join, But I Will Send My Agent: Stand-in Enhanced Asynchronous Meetings (SEAM)

TL;DR

This paper introduces SEAM, a virtual reality system where absent users are represented by virtual agents during asynchronous meetings, enhancing social presence and interaction for both present and absent participants.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel virtual reality framework for asynchronous meetings with embodied agents representing absent users, demonstrating improved social presence and interaction.

Findings

Stand-in agents enhance decision-making information access.

Participants perceive high social presence of absentees.

Absentees feel included when watching recordings.

Abstract

We propose and explore the user experience of SEAM -- Stand-in Enhanced Asynchronous Meetings -- virtual reality meetings in which embodied virtual agents represent absent users. During the meeting, attendees can address the agent, and the absent user can later watch the recording from its perspective to respond. Through two mixed-method studies with 45 participants using the Wizard-of-Oz approach, we explored both the perspectives of the attendees in the original meeting and of the absent users later re-watching the meeting. We found that the stand-in can enhance meetings, benefiting both present and absent collaborators. Present attendees can easily access information that drives decision-making in the meeting perceive high social presence of absentees. Absentees also felt included when watching recordings because of the social interactions and attention towards them. Our contributions demonstrate a proof of concept for future asynchronous meetings in which collaborators can interact conversationally more akin to how they would if it had been synchronous.