Tilted tabletops: In between horizontal and vertical workspaces

In this paper we examine tilted tabletops as workspaces for computer-supported group collaboration. The configuration of a tilted tabletop is considered to be in between a fully horizontal tabletop and a vertical whiteboard. We describe related work, and provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of such a configuration. Furthermore, we present the results of a user study about tilted tabletops. We captured the tilt angle preference of 78 participants using mock-ups of the basic workspace elements. The study was conducted after they experienced a combined distributed and co-located collaboration. The results of the study reveal that the majority of the participants prefer a tilted workspace rather than a fully horizontal one for interaction. We discuss the implications of these results for the design of tabletop-based collaborative environments.