Exploring multimodal interaction in collaborative settings

Abstract

This paper presents an initial study of a multimodal collaborative platform concerning user preferences and interaction technique adequacy towards a task. True collaborative interactions are a missing aspect of the majority of nowadays' multi-user system on par with the lack of support towards impaired users. In order to surpass these obstacles we provide an accessible platform for co-located collaborative environments which aims at not only improving the ways users interact within them but also at exploring novel interaction patterns. A brief study regarding a set of interaction techniques and tasks was conducted in order to assess the most suited modalities in certain settings. We discuss the results drawn from this study, detail some related conclusions and present future work directions. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.