Reducing Clutter on Tabletop Groupware Systems with Tangible Drawers

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. We describe our implementation and interaction techniques, and then report results from an informal pilot study.