# Designing a Collaborative Virtual Conference Application: Challenges, Requirements and Guidelines
## 5 Discussion
### Limited Sharing of Emotions and Expressions  
Most of the participants in the usability study preferred to turn off their web camera during online communication due to several reasons such as privacy, a less-than-ideal background environment, and a lack of confidence or low self-esteem. Some users stated that they preferred their web cameras to be switched off by default in adherence to the Islamic teachings that require Muslims to dress modestly in public:  
**G5M15:**_I just like it like that, maybe due to privacy because when we do something, like when we draw, our faces look too focused, and we don't want other people to look at your face at that time. I don't know, for me, I just like the privacy and since others have also not turned on their cameras, so I choose to not (turn on my camera) too._  
**G1F1:**_Because we are Muslims, so we need to wear a hijab for that_. Another reason is the surrounding environment, which may not be suitable for sharing with others. One of the participants performed the study outside, therefore he decided not to turn on the web camera. **G1F2:**_I'm outside, so my line is not so good. That's why I just closed the video._  
Interestingly, a few participants from the study also mentioned that they felt more relaxed when their web cameras were turned off. They had associated being shy with making them feel more anxious when the camera was turned on. **G4F10:**_(I) feel more relaxed if the camera is not switched on._  
**G4F11:**_Yeah, we are shy._  
**G4F10:**_Oh, I just feel more relaxed we don't switch on the camera, but it's okay if it's necessary, to switch it on, uh, when the lecturer requests._  
**G4F11:**_Yeah, when we are requested upon._  
However, some participants expressed that they preferred to turn on the web camera while doing the collaborative work in order to see how others reacted. **G3M9:**_I also love to switch on the camera because it's more fun because we can see their reactions and so on._  
Thus, when users turn off their web camera during an online interaction, they are unable to share and communicate affective feedback with one another. Due to this isolation, the results from the usability study earlier show that most of the participants feel neutral or lonely when performing collaborative sync communication. Therefore, a balanced solution is required that can express the affective feedback of all parties involved, while also respecting the wishes of others who value their privacy highly. According to a previous study, nearly half of the students did not agree to keep their web cameras on during classes due to anxiety, shyness, and privacy concerns [63]. Currently, the research has highlighted a lack of study on the causes of this behavior and would like to further investigate the matter in the future. Several theories relating to shyness and sociability (the likeliness of users to be socially engaged with others) are discussed in this article [64]. Although some users prefer privacy due to shyness, anxiety, or to increase focus, others still rely on visual cues such as facial expressions and hand gestures to help them interpret the message. Previous research has suggested that a lack of non-verbal and visual cues may increase the risk of clients and therapists misinterpreting what is communicated [65]. One possible solution for sharing non-verbal cues without jeopardizing privacy is by replacing the live video feed with virtual forms of a person, such as through an avatar. Previous studies have shown that avatars can help improve subsections of social presence such as co-presence and behavioral interdependence [66; 67]. However, using avatars for this purpose has some limitations because they can only capture and display a limited range of emotions and expressions. Previous work has also shown that lower graphical detail on the avatar further limits the expressions that can be shown, and in turn lowers theemotional and affective states [66].