Tangible Drawers

A tangible input mechanism for interactive tabletop interfaces
Presented as a poster at UBICOMP'06 in Irvine, CA

Björn Hartmann - HCI Group, Dept. of Computer Science, Stanford University
Merrie Ringel Morris
Anthony Cassanego

Simultaneously presenting multiple users’ data on a single, shared display, such as an interactive tabletop, often results in visual clutter. One strategy to reduce clutter on horizontal surfaces in the physical world is to store objects in drawers. Items in drawers are hidden from view but are accessible when needed. Inspired by analogies with traditional desks and tables, we have developed tangible drawer mechanisms to augment a projected multi-user tabletop display. The drawers serve as dedicated input mechanisms to access, scroll through, and hide personal data.

UBICOMP extended abstract: Reducing Clutter on Tabletop Groupware Systems with Tangible Drawers (pdf)