Research

Display Factors Influencing Co-Located Collaboration

With recent advances in display technologies, people now have a number of viable options when choosing technology to incorporate into their face-to-face work activities. Co-located CSCW solutions have been proposed for desktop computers, wall displays, tabletop displays, and networked laptops and PDAs. Deciding which display technology is appropriate for a given situation requires an understanding of the impact of the underlying dimensions of the display technologies on co-located collaborative interactions.

The objective of our research is to investigate issues specifically related to display characteristics and how these display factors influence co-located collaboration.

The Display Factors

Six display factors were identified:
1. Display Angle. A horizontal display allows several possibilities for user arrangement and provides a flat surface for placing objects. A vertical display ensures that all users view the information in a similar orientation. A tilted display, such as a drafting table, can provide a better viewing angle, but generally does not afford people gathering around it.
2. User Arrangement. Users are constrained to position themselves in front of a vertical display; however, users may gather in myriad arrangements around a horizontal display. Side-by-side arrangements allow users to view the display from the same perspective, but other arrangements (face-to-face or right-angle) make it easier for people to view each other's facial expressions and make eye contact.
3. Display Size. Display size can range from small screen devices to desktop monitors to large wall displays. A large display may be used to magnify an image, enabling easier viewing or interaction or to show additional detail that would not be clearly visible on a smaller display. Small displays are beneficial when users need to be mobile, but it is difficult for two or more people to share a small display.
4. Number of Displays. Multiple displays permit a clear partitioning of ownership, allowing users to have effective control over their own 'personal' display. A shared display creates a more group-oriented surface, encouraging people to gather around it to collaborate and enabling close-range cooperation styles.
5. Direct Input. Although the mouse is a favored input device for use with desktop computers, emerging computing environments afford other types of input. Touch screens and styli typically superimpose input and display spaces whereas mice, keyboards, and trackballs do not.
6. Display Proximity. PDAs and desktop monitors are typically used at fairly close distances due to their small size and fine resolution. Tabletop displays are also typically used at close distances because the ability to interact with the device decreases as one moves away from the table, due to the compromised viewing angle. In contrast, wall displays enable interactions from varying distances.