An In-the-Wild Study of Learning to Brainstorm: Comparing Cards, Tabletops and Wall Displays in the Classroom

Andrew Clayphan, Roberto Martinez-Maldonado, Martin Tomitsch, Susan Atkinson, Judy Kay
2016 Interacting with computers  
Single display interactive groupware interfaces have the potential to effectively support smallgroup work in classrooms. Our work aimed to gain understanding needed to realise that potential. First, we wanted to study how learners use these large interactive displays, compared with a more traditional method within classrooms. Second, we wanted to fill gaps in the current understanding of the effectiveness of interactive tables versus walls. Third, we wanted to do this out of the laboratory
more » ... ng, in authentic classrooms, with their associated constraints. We conducted an in-the-wild study, with 51 design students, working in 14 groups, learning the brainstorming technique. Each group practiced brainstorming in three classrooms: one with vertical displays (walls); another with multi-touch tabletops; and the third with pens and index cards. The published literature suggested that tabletops would be better than the other conditions for key factors of cooperative participation, mutual awareness, maintaining interest and affective measures. Contrary to this, we found that the horizontal and vertical displays both had similar levels of benefit over the conventional method. It was only for affective measures that tabletops were better than walls. All conditions were similar for our several measures of outcome quality. We discuss the implications of our findings for designing future classrooms. Keywords Interactive tabletops; Collocated collaboration; Creativity; Interactive vertical displays; Single display groupware; Brainstorming; Studies in the wild Research Highlights  An in-the-wild study of single-display groupware (SDG) for students learning to brainstorm, a richly collaborative activity involving a divergent ideation phase and convergent discussion and idea selection phases.  Both SDGs had benefits over the conventional method (which used pens and index cards).  Comparing interactive tabletops with vertical displays, students preferred tabletops, but measures of brainstorming results and collaboration were similar. Figure 1: Our three authentic classroom designs. Left: Interactive vertical displays. Centre: Multiple interactive-tabletops. Right: Regular tables for paper-based activities.
doi:10.1093/iwc/iww001 fatcat:udkavs47qjavjkiiyeomqak2xi