Swarthmore College Department of Computer Science

Talk by Elaine Huang, Georgia Tech

Making Things Fit: Large Shared Displays for Supporting Workgroup Interactions
Monday, February 20 2006
3:00pm in Science Center 240

Abstract

Large, shared displays, such as large plasma displays and projection screens, are becoming ubiquitous in work environments. These technologies offer several potential benefits for workgroups; they provide a shared visual workspace for collaboration, are highly visible, and can be used for passive information display to help group members maintain awareness. Despite the proliferation of large-scale displays in the workplace, applications for these displays often suffer from under use, or fall into states of complete disuse. How can we create large display applications that are perceived as useful and easy-to-use? How can we deploy them to promote their use and integration into everyday work tasks? In this talk, I will discuss some of the unique challenges that surround the design, deployment, and evaluation of these applications in authentic work environments. In particular, I will focus on the social and technical factors that influence the adoption of these systems, as well as how the use of these technologies evolves within complex, technology-rich work environments.