Equal opportunities: Do shareable interfaces promote more group participation than single users displays?

Computers designed for single use are often appropriated suboptimally when used by small colocated groups working together. Our research investigates whether shareable interfaces–that are designed for more than one user to inter-act with–can facilitate more equitable participation in colocated group settings compared with single user displays. We present a conceptual framework that characterizes Shared Information Spaces (SISs) in terms of how they constrain and invite participation using different entry points. An experiment was conducted that compared three different SISs: a physical-digital set-up (least constrained), a multitouch tabletop (medium), and a laptop display (most constrained). Statistical analyses showed there to be little difference in participation levels between the three conditions other than a predictable lack of equity of control over the interface in the laptop condition. However, detailed qualitative analyses revealed more equitable participation took place in the physical-digital condition in terms of verbal utterances over time. Those who spoke the least contributed most to the physical design task. The findings are discussed in relation to the conceptual framework and, more generally, in terms of how to select, design, and combine different display technologies to support collaborative activities

Around the Table: Studies in Co-located Collaboration

Abstract. This video illustrates how pervasive technology can be designed to support more effectively collaborative working. To begin, it shows what happens when small co-located groups try to work together using a single PC or whiteboard: it can be frustrating and encourage one person to dominate. The video then explains our ‘multiple entry points ’ framework, intended to inform the design of shared workspaces, that can facilitate numerous and natural ways of taking control and contributing to the ongoing work by all group members. Two set-ups are presented with increasing number of entry points; (i) a shared touch screen tabletop and (ii) a large physical-digital space comprising a tabletop interlinked with tagged physical objects. The findings from two user studies are outlined; the tabletop was found to facilitate more collaborative decisionmaking for a simple design task while the extended version, with a larger number of entry points, promoted more fluid and diverse collaborative interactions. Furthermore, it was found that the quiet group members participated considerably more in the physical design activities.