Pair research: Matching people for collaboration, learning, and productivity

Abstract

To increase productivity, informal learning, and collaborations within and across research groups, we have been experimenting with a new kind of interaction that we call {em pair research}, in which members are paired up weekly to work together on each other's projects. In this paper, we present a system for making pairings and present results from two deployments. Results show that members used pair research in a wide variety of ways including pair programming, user testing, brainstorming, and data collection and analysis. Pair research helped members get things done and share their expertise with others.