Structured handoffs in expert crowdsourcing improve communication and work output.

ABSTRACTExpert crowdsourcing allows specialized, remote teams to complete projects, often large and involving multiple stages. Its execution is complicated due to communication difficulties between remote workers. This paper investigates whether structured handoff methods, from one worker to the next, improve final product quality by helping the workers understand the input of their tasks and reduce overall integration cost. We investigate this question through 1) a "live" handoff method where the next worker shadows the former via screen sharing technology and 2) a "recorded" handoff, where workers summarize work done for the next, via a screen capture and narration. We confirm the need for a handoff process. We conclude that structured handoffs result in higher quality work, improved satisfaction (especially for workers with creative tasks), improved communication of non-obvious instructions, and increased adherence to the original intent of the project.