Framework for measuring social affinity for CSCW software.

Using surveys as a means for assessing group common ground has the possibility of social desirability bias where the results may suggest a higher team affinity rating than may actually exist. To evaluate efforts to improve affinity within interdisciplinary design teams, we developed an empirical measurement of affinity based on behavior and conversation in order to compare affinity differences between workgroups more precisely. This methodology can be used for remote or co-located teams and offers HCI researchers a more powerful method of evaluating group affinity.