Abstract:

We present a new popup widget, called CoR2Ds (Context-Rooted Rotatable Draggables), designed for multi-user direct-touch tabletop environments. CoR2Ds are interactive callout popup objects that are visually connected (rooted) at the originating displayed object by a semi-transparent colored swath. CoR2Ds can be used to bring out meanus, display drilled-down or off-screen ancillary data such as metadata and attributes, as well as instantiate tools. CoR2Ds can be freely moved, rotated, and re-oriented on a tabletop display surface by fingers, hands, pointing devices (mice) or marking devices (such as a stylus or light pen). CoR2Ds address five issues for interaction techniques on interactive tabletop display surfaces: occlusion, reach, context on a cluttered display, readability, and concurrent/coordianted multi-user interaction. In this paper, we present the design, interaction and implementation of CoR2Ds. We also discuss a set of current usage scenarios.