Investigating device‐specific visual feedback for cross‐device transfer in table‐centric multisurface environments

Abstract : Table‐centric multisurface environments (T‐MSEs) that combine small multitouch surfaces (eg, smartphones and tablets) with large interactive tabletops provide people with both personal and shared workspaces to support various independent and collective tasks during group activities. This paper reports on the third in a series of studies exploring how existing interaction methods for cross‐device transfer, such as the Pick‐and‐Drop (P&D) method, can be adapted to table‐centric multisurface environment settings. The study examined the use of device‐specific visual feedback to improve users' awareness of transferred content during P&D transfer. The tabletop feedback utilized the existing Surface Ghosts P&D feedback approach (ie, “ghosted” versions of transferred content were displayed in real time under the user's hand). The tablet feedback consisted of a static “Tablet Bridge” feedback showing miniature versions of transferred content along the top edge of the tablet interface. The study found that providing both types of feedback significantly improved users' transfer awareness over providing Surface Ghosts feedback alone. It also revealed that the Tablet Bridge feedback helped compensate for technical and usability issues associated with the Surface Ghosts feedback design. Lessons learned from our combined series of cross‐device transfer studies are reflected upon, and relevant design implications are discussed.