User Interface Plasticity for Groupware

Plastic user interfaces are intentionally developed to automatically adapt themselves to changes in the user’s working context. Although some Web single-user interactive systems already integrate some plastic capabilities, this research topic remains quasi-unexplored in the domain of Computer Supported Cooperative Work. This paper is centered on prototyping a plastic collaborative whiteboard, which adapts itself: 1) to the platform, as being able to be launched from heterogeneous computer devices and 2) to each collaborator, when he is detected working from several devices. In this last case, if the collaborator agrees, the whiteboard can split its user interface among his devices in order to facilitate user-system interaction without affecting the other collaborators present in the working session. The distributed interface components work as if they were co-located within a unique device. At any time, the whiteboard maintains group awareness among the involved collaborators.