TeamTag: exploring centralized versus replicated controls for co-located tabletop groupware

We explore how the placement of control widgets (such as menus) affects collaboration and usability for co-located tabletop groupware applications. We evaluated two design alternatives: a centralized set of controls shared by all users, and separate per-user controls replicated around the borders of the shared tabletop. We conducted this evaluation in the context of TeamTag, a system for collective annotation of digital photos. Our comparison of the two design alternatives found that users preferred replicated over shared controls. We discuss the cause of this preference, and also present data on the impact of these interface design variants on collaboration, as well as the role that orientation, co-touching, and the use of different regions of the table played in shaping users' behavior and preferences.

[1]  Carl Gutwin,et al.  Design for individuals, design for groups: tradeoffs between power and workspace awareness , 1998, CSCW '98.

[2]  Darren Leigh,et al.  DiamondTouch: a multi-user touch technology , 2001, UIST '01.

[3]  M. Weiser,et al.  An empirical comparison of pie vs. linear menus , 1988, CHI '88.

[4]  Regan L. Mandryk,et al.  System Guidelines for Co-located, Collaborative Work on a Tabletop Display , 2003, ECSCW.

[5]  M. Sheelagh T. Carpendale,et al.  How people use orientation on tables: comprehension, coordination and communication , 2003, GROUP '03.

[6]  Edward Tse,et al.  Programming for Multiple Touches and Multiple Users: A Toolkit for the DiamondTouch Hardware , 2003 .

[7]  E. Hall,et al.  The Hidden Dimension , 1970 .

[8]  Clifton Forlines,et al.  Sharing and building digital group histories , 2002, CSCW '02.

[9]  Daniel J. Wigdor,et al.  Empirical Investigation into the Effect of Orientation on Text Readability in Tabletop Displays , 2005, ECSCW.

[10]  Jason E. Stewart,et al.  Single display groupware: a model for co-present collaboration , 1999, CHI '99.

[11]  Steve Freeman,et al.  MMM: a user interface architecture for shared editors on a single screen , 1991, UIST '91.

[12]  Regan L. Mandryk,et al.  Understanding children's collaborative interactions in shared environments , 2003, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[13]  Allison Druin,et al.  Single display groupware: a model for co-present collaboration , 1999, CHI '99.

[14]  Ben Shneiderman,et al.  Direct annotation: a drag-and-drop strategy for labeling photos , 2000, 2000 IEEE Conference on Information Visualization. An International Conference on Computer Visualization and Graphics.

[15]  Brad A. Myers,et al.  Collaboration using multiple PDAs connected to a PC , 1998, CSCW '98.

[16]  Meredith Ringel Morris,et al.  DiamondSpin: an extensible toolkit for around-the-table interaction , 2004, CHI.

[17]  James D. Hollan,et al.  Local tools: an alternative to tool palettes , 1996, UIST '96.

[18]  Tom Rodden,et al.  Collaborating around collections: informing the continued development of photoware , 2004, CSCW.

[19]  Regan L. Mandryk,et al.  Methodology for Evaluating Collaboration Behaviour in Co-Located Environments , 2004 .

[20]  Andreas Paepcke,et al.  TeamSearch: comparing techniques for co-present collaborative search of digital media , 2006, First IEEE International Workshop on Horizontal Interactive Human-Computer Systems (TABLETOP '06).

[21]  Timo Engelke,et al.  Towards the Next Generation of Tabletop Gaming Experiences , 2004, Graphics Interface.

[22]  Carl Gutwin,et al.  Awareness support in a groupware widget toolkit , 2003, GROUP.

[23]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation , 1991 .

[24]  Dan Morris,et al.  Individual audio channels with single display groupware: effects on communication and task strategy , 2004, CSCW.

[25]  Saul Greenberg,et al.  A Single Display Groupware Widget Set , 2000 .

[26]  Meredith Ringel Morris,et al.  Exploring the effects of group size and table size on interactions with tabletop shared-display groupware , 2004, CSCW.

[27]  M. Sheelagh T. Carpendale,et al.  Territoriality in collaborative tabletop workspaces , 2004, CSCW.