The article by Jonathan Grudin discusses the challenges faced by developers in creating groupware, which is software designed to support group activities. Groupware differs from single-user applications and organizational information systems (IS) in several ways, leading to unique design and evaluation challenges. The article outlines eight specific problem areas: 1. **Disparity in Work and Benefit**: Groupware often requires additional work from individuals who do not perceive a direct benefit, leading to resistance and underutilization. 2. **Critical Mass and Prisoner's Dilemma Problems**: Achieving a critical mass of users is essential for the success of groupware, but this can be difficult due to individual preferences and conflicts of interest. 3. **Social, Political, and Motivational Factors**: Groupware must account for the complex social dynamics within groups, which are often not explicit or stable. 4. **Exception Handling in Workgroups**: Groupware should be flexible and able to handle unexpected situations, as human activities are often characterized by ad hoc problem-solving. 5. **Designing for Infrequently Used Features**: Groupware features that are used infrequently must be integrated with frequently used features and designed to be unobtrusive yet accessible. 6. **The Difficulty of Evaluation**: Evaluating groupware is more challenging than evaluating single-user applications due to the complex social and motivational dynamics involved. 7. **The Breakdown of Intuitive Decision Making**: Decision-makers often rely on intuition, which can lead to the development of groupware that selectively benefits a subset of users. 8. **Managing Acceptance**: Groupware must be introduced carefully to ensure successful adoption, as it is sensitive to various aspects of its introduction. The article emphasizes the need for developers to have a deeper understanding of group dynamics and work environments to address these challenges effectively. It also highlights the importance of user involvement and the need for developers to learn from the experiences of IS developers and organizational systems researchers.The article by Jonathan Grudin discusses the challenges faced by developers in creating groupware, which is software designed to support group activities. Groupware differs from single-user applications and organizational information systems (IS) in several ways, leading to unique design and evaluation challenges. The article outlines eight specific problem areas: 1. **Disparity in Work and Benefit**: Groupware often requires additional work from individuals who do not perceive a direct benefit, leading to resistance and underutilization. 2. **Critical Mass and Prisoner's Dilemma Problems**: Achieving a critical mass of users is essential for the success of groupware, but this can be difficult due to individual preferences and conflicts of interest. 3. **Social, Political, and Motivational Factors**: Groupware must account for the complex social dynamics within groups, which are often not explicit or stable. 4. **Exception Handling in Workgroups**: Groupware should be flexible and able to handle unexpected situations, as human activities are often characterized by ad hoc problem-solving. 5. **Designing for Infrequently Used Features**: Groupware features that are used infrequently must be integrated with frequently used features and designed to be unobtrusive yet accessible. 6. **The Difficulty of Evaluation**: Evaluating groupware is more challenging than evaluating single-user applications due to the complex social and motivational dynamics involved. 7. **The Breakdown of Intuitive Decision Making**: Decision-makers often rely on intuition, which can lead to the development of groupware that selectively benefits a subset of users. 8. **Managing Acceptance**: Groupware must be introduced carefully to ensure successful adoption, as it is sensitive to various aspects of its introduction. The article emphasizes the need for developers to have a deeper understanding of group dynamics and work environments to address these challenges effectively. It also highlights the importance of user involvement and the need for developers to learn from the experiences of IS developers and organizational systems researchers.