Improving Interfaces for Collaborative Work in Multiple-Device Environments

Published in Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI), 2006

Recommended citation: Biehl, J.T. and Bailey, B.P. 2006. "Improving Interfaces for Collaborative Work in Multiple-Device Environments." In Proceedings of the Working Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI '06). ACM, New York, NY, USA, pp. 35-42.

Productive collaboration in a multiple-device environment (MDE) requires an effective interface for efficiently managing applications among devices. Though many interfaces exist, there is little empirical understanding of how they affect collaboration. This paper reports results from a user study comparing how well three classes of interfaces; textual, map, and iconic, support application management during realistic, collaborative activities in an MDE. From empirical results, observations, and an analysis of how users interacted with each interface, we produced a set of design lessons for improving management interfaces. The lessons were demonstrated within the iconic interface, but they are just as applicable to other interfaces. This work contributes further understanding of how to design effective management interfaces for MDEs.

DOI: 10.1145/1133265.1133273