Brief introduction

Instead of relying on traditional file hierarchies and version control systems, the TimeConfluence situates all project with file management activity within a shared 3D space structured around timeline. Each project exists as a spiral where time becomes the primary organising principle, allowing users to navigate, revisit, and branch work intuitively.

In this system, users working on individual timelines, reflecting their personal workflows and contributions. At any given moment, collaborators can establish shared “public spaces” anchored to specific points in timeline. These spaces support both synchronous and asynchronous discussions, editing, and information sharing, enhancing deep collaboration while also serving just commenting needs. Different user roles, such as full contributors or commentators, are naturally integrated through varying levels of interaction within these shared nodes.

A key conceptual shift lies in the abstraction of files. Rather than being defined by rigid formats (e.g., PNG, JPEG, TXT etc.), files are treated as fluid entities that can be rendered through multiple representations. A single file may be viewed as text, image, or code depending on context and user needs, emphasising content over format and enabling a flexible workflows.

The design metaphor draws from a solar system: each project is a planetary system, where planets represent collaborative spaces and users orbit along individualized paths. The evolution of a file is visualized as a spiral trajectory, symbolizing growth, iteration, and transformation over time. This metaphor not only provides an intuitive spatial understanding of collaboration but also embeds versioning directly into the user experience.

Originating from a workshop prompt on managing remote academic collaboration, this project challenges conventional tools by proposing a unified environment where time, space, and interaction converge. It aims to manage project documents through timeline-based visualization, making the project progress clear and transparent, reduce fragmentation, and create a more holistic and engaging approach to collaborative work.

Prosess

The concept of TimeConfluence beginn with the result from the workshop. 

Task one: you are working on an academic paper with three colleagues and two project partners. The colleagues are full contributors, the project partners just commentators. You all work remote and start from scratch. How do you manage the collaboration? How do you create versions? 

The idea came out as a co-working platform like solar system, every planet is a co-working space, every one working on their own planetary orbit, and the spiral is the growing way of the file.

Based on the scenario described in Task One of the workshop, TimeConfluence starts to build the new file system primarily in six areas.

1. No concept of a hard drive for file storage: the organisation and arrangement of all files within cloud storage.

2. Connections between different users: combining personal timeline content with group collaboration content.

3. Connections between file contents without file format: visualising file without file formats within 3D space to provide a more comprehensive context and facilitate user understanding.

4. Communication between users in work scenarios: methods for communicating and seeking feedback when working in isolation.

5. File version history based on timelines: Preserving and organising different versions within user timeline.

6. Public visibility of personal timelines and editing permissions for collaborative content: distinguishing file statuses across different users’ timelines in public spaces and facilitating collaboration.

In the course of our in-depth research and development of TimeConfluence, we would like to thank Alexander Obenauer for his lab notes and OLLOS for the inspiration. 

The TimeConfluence focuses more on how to integrate the timelines of different users, promote collaboration, and make the context of user documents visual-able.

During the development of the Timeconfluence system, we explored and tested multiple approaches for transitioning users from a 3D file management space into a 2D workspace. In our final presentation with Philipp Steinacher, we recognized that our design had been constrained by the inherent limitations of the 2D screen. This realization prompted us to shift our focus toward designing the system for a fully immersive VR environment.

Final Prototype

In TimeConfluence different Projects are arranged by time, with projects further down representing earlier ones.

The central timeline represents the user’s personal file management storage space, while the surrounding timelines represent collaborative storage spaces.

Different transparency indicate when the storage space was last accessed.

The height of the spiral represents the duration of the project.

The diameter of the spiral represents the scope of work for the project (similar to the duration of work).

The number of spirals indicates the number of files stored in the project

The width of the spiral indicates the amount of time the user has spent on the project.

The cross-sectional shape of the timeline represents the number of project members in the collaborative group; the number of faces corresponds to the number of members.

The shape of the timeline’s cross-section also changes when there are alterations to the group members, such as from a quadrilateral to a pentagon.

If a large group includes sub-group assignments during collaborative work, the two timelines will run parallel.

When users need to view a specific project, they can search for it, the search results will also display other projects associated with it.

Zoom in to view the project and see its specific details. It will switch to the timeline in team collaboration view.

This is a group project formed by four individual timelines. In addition to storing files on their own timelines, group members can select specific timepoints to establish shared spaces, which are composed of the members’ individual timelines. Each group member can view the files within the shared space.

By clicking on a specific day on the timeline, users can search for and view specific files.

Video

System Walkthrough

User Scenario Demo

Reflection

Right up until the documentation phase of Timeconfluence, we remained uncertain about whether the visual representation of the workspace should be 2D. That is why, after much discussion, we ultimately decided to place the entire workspace within a 3D environment. It’s undeniable that we’re all too familiar with that black screen, even the long-awaited Apple Vision Pro simply places the 2D MacOS interface in front of the user’s eyes. So, how to break through this limitation has become our current challenge.

Within TimeConfluence, we are trying to dig more benefit of 3D working space, but there're still lots of questions, which need be answered. 

First of all is effectiveness. Does the whole 3D space adding too much layers that users must learn? It is seems like timeline works well in three or four months' projects (we use study semester as example), but what if it is in longterm or extremely high frequency workflow? How to navigate on the timeline? And also the multiple representations of file, does it also increasing the complexities of user interface and cause decision fatigue for users? At last but not least, does it worth to let system focus more on immersion and spatial experience and this come at the cost of efficiency?