Mapping on Surfaces: Supporting Collaborative Work Using Interactive Tabletop

We investigate the usability of our mindmap application using a tabletop integrated with four Android tablets in the context of support for collaborative work. This paper presents two empirical studies that compares the conventional paper-and-pen approach with an interactive touchscreen tabletop system. Our results clearly indicate that the combination of a tabletop and personal devices support and encourage multiple people to work collaboratively. Furthermore, the results confirm earlier results about the usability advantages of the interactive tabletop application. The comparison of the associated emotional attitudes indicates that the interactive tabletop facilitates the active involvement of participants in the group decision making significantly more than the use of the paper-and-pen approach