“I need to be professional until my new team uses emoji, GIFs, or memes first’’: New Collaborators’ Perspectives on Using Non-Textual Communication in Virtual Workspaces

Abstract

Virtual workspaces rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for many new collaborators, working remotely was their first introduction to their colleagues. Building rapport is essential for a healthy work environment, and while this can be achieved through non-textual responses within chat-based systems (e.g., emoji, GIF, stickers, memes), those non-textual responses are typically associated with personal relationships and informal settings. We studied the experiences of new collaborators (questionnaire N=49; interview N=14) in using non-textual responses to communicate with unacquainted teams and the effect of non-textual responses on new collaborators’ interpersonal bonds. We found new collaborators selectively and progressively use non-textual responses to establish interpersonal bonds. Moreover, the use of non-textual responses has exposed several limitations when used on various platforms. We conclude with design recommendations such as expanding the scope of interpretable non-textual responses and reducing selection time.