Co-located Collaborative Sensemaking on a Large High-Resolution Display with Multiple Input Devices

This study adapts existing tools (Jigsaw and a text editor) to support multiple input devices, which were then used in a co-located collaborative intelligence analysis study conducted on a large, high-resolution display. Exploring the sensemaking process and user roles in pairs of analysts, the two-hour study used a fictional data set composed of 50 short textual documents that contained a terrorist plot and subject pairs who had experience working together. The large display facilitated the paired sensemaking process, allowing teams to spatially arrange information and conduct individual work as needed. We discuss how the space and the tools affected the approach to the analysis, how the teams collaborated, and the user roles that developed. Using these findings, we suggest design guidelines for future colocated collaborative tools.