Supporting collaboration in multi display environments

As display costs fall and users' needs for additional display space grows, multi-display environments (MDEs) are increasing in popularity. Whether it is an individual user with tiled monitors, or a large, technology-rich conference room, equipped with wall and tabletop displays, very little is known about how to effectively design multi-monitor environments and how users may ultimately interact with these workspaces. As displays become ubiquitous in our environment, we need to think carefully about how information is managed across these displays and how users (in particular, co-located collaborators) will interact with these displays. The focus of this research is on the use of MDEs to support small-group, face-to-face collaboration. We are interested in developing a better understanding how users interact in MDEs and building new interaction techniques to enable users to collaborate in a natural, seamless manner. Over the next five years, the prevalence of multi-display environments will increase dramatically, both in the workplace and in the home. These environments have the potential to be significantly underutilized without an appropriate understanding of how to effectively design multi-display systems which support co-located collaboration. Current computer technology constrains our collaborative interactions and forces us to adapt to inferior but available interaction styles available. However, the underlying architectures for MDEs do not currently exist. Therefore, research in this area will help shape the systems that are ultimately developed and influence the way systems and application designers think about MDEs.