Researchers

Only you can show the world what works and why.

Your research is sorely needed.

  • What does virtual do best?

    In addition to adapting the interactive aspects of in-person conferencing for the virtual world, how can we leverage the unique affordances of virtual to make the most engaging conferences?

  • How to optimize activities?

    Activities with more structure offer guidance and make attendees comfortable, while less structure allows greater freedom. What kinds of activities strike the optimal balance?

  • Which social norms?

    Knowing how to interact with others in virtual spaces can be tricky; introducing explicit norms, like how to enter and exit a group, can help. But which norms to offer? How do explicit norms impact interactions?

Research questions and ideas

“What if we held presentations in a spatial conferencing platform? Would attendees hang around afterwards and chat?”

“We want to test a set of newcomer-focused facilitation protocols to see if they bolster feelings of belonging.”

“How do different social norms foster feelings of comfort and belonging, especially among early-career professionals?”

“Would spatial self-organizing activities, like asking attendees to place themselves on a visual Likert scale, spark deeper conversations than simply asking them questions?”