A Trouble Shared is a Troubled Halved: Disruptive and Self-Help Patterns of Usage for Co-Located Interfaces

The use of co-located interfaces can be more problematic than working on standard single-user software because people have to deal simultaneously with the dynamics of group behaviour and with the hassles of the (wrong) design. In this position paper, we report the some preliminary result of a qualitative study conducted on 10 small groups using a tabletop device in a natural setting. We discuss the several patterns of disruptive behaviour induced by the interface as well as the some patterns of collaborative appropriation of the system’s functionalities.