Remote collaboration software mediates modern knowledge work, yet existing inspection methods often overlook inequities in remote teamwork. We introduce RemoteCollabEval, a new HCI inspection method for systematically surfacing inclusivity issues in synchronous remote collaboration software. RemoteCollabEval consists of: (1) six novel research-based facets illustrated by two personas grounded in social identity theory to capture the interdependent nature of teamwork for dominant and under-served users, and (2) a specialized walkthrough to help practitioners identify inclusivity issues and actionable interface design fixes. We evaluated RemoteCollabEval against the standard Groupware Walkthrough in a controlled study with 29 HCI students across 10 teams. Participants inspected Zoom and Replit, followed by a survey and semi-structured group discussion. RemoteCollabEval surfaced about six times more inclusivity issues than the standard approach and was perceived as comprehensive and well-designed. Our contributions include: (1) a validated method for identifying inclusivity issues in collaboration software and (2) teamwork-specific facets that provide a foundation for more equitable design practices in distributed teams.

Women researchers in computing face persistent, career-longchallenges that contribute to broader gender disparities in the field. While prior work has examined barriers faced by women in computing, little is known about the lived experiences of women researchers, specifically those navigating careers across academia and industry. To address this gap, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ten novice and experienced women researchers across three continents. Using inductive analysis and open coding of transcribed interviews, we identified thirteen career-related challenges, organized into three overarching themes: absence of belonging, experiences of implicit bias, and increased emotional burden. Participants described heightened gender awareness in computing environments, which contributed to feelings of isolation and hindered professional growth. Our findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to support the career trajectories of women researchers, foster inclusive research communities, and ultimately reduce the gender gap in computing.

Remote pair programming is widely used in software development, but no research has examined how race affects these interactions between developers. We embarked on this study due to the historical underrepresentation of Black developers in the tech industry, with White developers comprising the majority. Our study involved 24 experienced developers, forming 12 gender-balanced same- and mixed-race pairs. Pairs collaborated on a programming task using the think-aloud method, followed by individual retrospective interviews. Our findings revealed elevated productivity scores for mixed-race pairs, with no differences in code quality between same- and mixed-race pairs. Mixed-race pairs excelled in task distribution, shared decision-making, and role-exchange but encountered communication challenges, discomfort, and anxiety, shedding light on the complexity of diversity dynamics. Our study emphasizes race’s impact on remote pair programming and underscores the need for diverse tools and methods to address racial disparities for collaboration.

Remote pair programming is a popular software development method that lacks evidence on how race may affect pair dynamics. Past computer science studies demonstrated how race impacts various fields such as AI, education, politics and jobs. A complex history of interracial interactions in the United States has led to differences in collaborative styles. We recruited 12 professional developers and investigated how same-and mixed-race pairs (Black-White) coordinated during remote pair programming interactions. Our results revealed that Black developers in mixed-race pairs were more democratic while in same-race pairs were more authoritative.