TableTrays: Temporary, reconfigurable work surfaces for tabletop groupware

Most tabletop groupware systems provide a single shared display, and users must coordinate access to both resources and space. In many situations, it can be difficult to manage this shared space - for example, it can be difficult to deal with clutter, to partition the work area, to divide the task, and to work with multiple objects at a time. To address these limitations, we developed an interaction technique called TableTrays. It provides users with portable work surfaces that sit on the tabletop, and allows them to temporarily group sets of objects and organize the table area. TableTrays incorporates many of the capabilities that have been proposed for tabletop groupware into a single mechanism. In this paper we describe TableTrays and present the results of a study where six groups carried out a design task using the technique. The results suggest that they can help people manage space, objects, and collaboration in tabletop work.