Evaluation of interference during collaborative document development

A problem with collaborative development of documents is that people can interfere with each other's work. If unresolved, this interference can result in an incorrect document. An evaluation scenario using the development of a database design is proposed as a good context for evaluation of collaborative systems for the development of both text and diagram documents. Several metrics and measures are described for quantifying the occurrence of interference. In particular, five survey questions were added to a standard usability instrument to address interference and protection.