SWIM: An alternative interface for MSN messenger

The research of the authors investigates an alternative interface for Instant Messaging (IM). This paper presents SWIM (SWinburne Instant Messaging), an IM tool that is developed based on MSN Messenger. SWIM presents an innovative interface design that combines the conventional sequential interface with the adaptive threaded interface. In addition, SWIM supports persistent conversation which facilitates users' participation to a group conversation. The integrated interface and support for persistent conversation allow SWIM to be used both as a convenient tool for social conversation and as an effective tool for task-oriented group discussion. In this paper, we discuss the design approach of SWIM, describe details of our implementation technique, and report a preliminary evaluation of SWIM. The evaluation shows that SWIM holds great promise in supporting group conversation.