Archive for April 15th, 2010
Tools for Distributed Collaboration
When I need answers to questions, there’s one place I go before Google, Evan Morikawa. If I were to bet on friends being successful in 20 years, he’d be pretty close to the top of my list. He recently sent me a list of tools he’s found useful for distributed teams, he’s currently working on a product design and development project with a team spread across Switzerland, Mexico and Boston.
From Evan … with some italicized comments from me
Here is a complied list of some of the tools I know for distributed collaboration.
E-mail – We use Google Apps for Email
Great for 1 way communication. Sending information, pictures, files.
At Blank Label, we try and keep this to an absolute bare minimum. Surprisingly Google Wave has helped with this a lot.
Instant Messaging – We use gChat
Fast collaborative 2 way text based communication, file sharing, image sharing. Harder to save.
Pidgin
AIM
Campfire – We tried this for a while, but we all actually preferred having something either desktop based rather than browser based, or on a page that we already use, e.g. gChat, right there in email.
Online Collaborative Documents – We use Google Docs and Wave
Fast, collaborative text based communication and document preparation. Free and easy to use.
Google Docs
With the new features of Google Docs going live, we might start playing around with this a bit more. But the only we really use in Google Docs is the PPT function as we like to collaborate on mockups here. Their new Drawing Doc looks interesting though.
EtherPad (very fast)
Gobby
Video Communications – We use Oovoo
Video chat allows for both live visual and voice information to be transmitted live. Best for 1 on 1 interactions. Many clients have instant messaging as well.
Skype
This is decent for one-on-one, but just because everyone’s already on it. For the two weekly All-Hands calls we have, we PAY for Oovoo.com. It has multi-way video chat with a decently reliable service and the best image quality we’ve found so far.
MSN Live Messenger
http://mail.live.com/mail/MSNWebIMDecomm.aspx
Polycom video conference system
Dimdim
Full video conference, screen sharing, internet search sharing, voice, video, whiteboard. Also Open source =]
Online Whiteboards
The new Drawing Doc on Google Docs might suffice for this …
Thinkature
Online sticky note collaborative tool. Also, Olin created. =]
Dabbleboard
Online whiteboard with smart objects allowing for easier use with a mouse
http://www.dabbleboard.com/draw
Stixy
Online project management and studio space. Notes, photos, files, todo
Twiddla
Easy to use whiteboard + audio + text
MindMapping Tools
Mindomo
Free, collaborative mindmaps.
MindMeister
Free, realtime collaborative mindmaps.
That is just a short list of things I know of. Here is another link to a huge resource of collaborative tools you may consider for distributed design.
http://www.mindmeister.com/12213323
Project management tools – We use Acunote
This is something that was semi-covered list but I thought I’d dedicate another section to it.
Basecamp
http://basecamphq.com/
One of the most popular, claimed to be the simplest and most intuitive, the leading 37 Signals product, Businessweek claims to be ‘addictively easy to use’. But the free version is extremely bare bones and the premiums start at $24/month
Acunote
http://www.acunote.com/
What we use, well actually mostly our designer and programmer. Our marketer and I try to find the leading indicators that are higher-level projects and collaborate in Google Wave. On calls we then discuss the task break-down and timing (this is the part that gets moved into Acunote).
If you have had a great experience with a remote team or distributed collaboration, and any tools in particular, would love for you to comment and provide suggestions.
