Misunderstand me correctly - comprehensibility in interdisciplinary collaboration

Interdisciplinary work environments, such as in the engineering of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), face significant communication challenges due to the need for collaboration among different engineering domains. This study examines communication comprehensibility within a CPS research project involving 30 researchers from multiple universities. We conducted two surveys to assess the status quo of communication comprehensibility. While most research descriptions are generally understandable, significant barriers exist due to technical terminology and differing epistemic foundations. The study presents a systematic approach to assess communication comprehensibility in interdisciplinary projects and highlights the need for support in enhancing communication. Further data from multiple projects is needed to develop effective communication models for interdisciplinary teams.