VIDEOWHITEBOARD: VIDEO SHADOWS TO SUPPORT REMOTE COLLABORATION John Scott System Xerox C. Tang* L. Minneman Sciences Palo 3333 Palo Alto Laboratory Research Center Coyote Hill Road Alto, CA 94304 [email protected], (415)494-4359 [email protected], (415)494-4353 ABSTRACT VideoWhiteboard remote shared is a prototype drawing activity. whiteboard-sized orators who each user shared in remote of collaborators development empirical of studies including shared sites. at the remote VideoWhiteboard is experiences in support It allows and a shadow of collaborative drawing to It provides a space for collab- drawing are located to see the drawings gestures tool The based drawing using prototype. of the site. the on activity, VideoDraw VideoWhiteboard ables remote collaborators to work if they were sharing a whiteboard, en- together much as and in some ways allows them to work together even more closely if they were in the same room. than Figure 1: Scene from Sharing KEYWORDS: gesture, systems, collaborative video, user interface, shared design drawing, process. a common resource needed nication between remote INTRODUCTION Over two thousand began entertaining plays [March, brightly that ago, the imperial the rear shadows years 1938]. colored against flat This court form puppets surface Chinese with of that of a backlit in artisans are screen, can be seen by the audience Over casting in front puppets are An Indonesian granted to provided copy that without fee the copies all or part are not made of this et of commercial advantage, other. design who This project commu- are need in a study physically for a shared of collaborators that sites [Olson or distributed last decade, that partially [1979] collaborators. 1. to was & Bly, distributed in press]. reported blackboard several systems address on for the this have need. development teleconferencing. been O’Boyle of an Many Collaborators who are separated by geographical distance tell tales of sending faxes back and forth while talking on the phone in order to have timely interaction over graphical Shared window systems that enable information. people to interact over a common view of text and is for notice and the title of the publication and its data appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Association for Computing Machinery. To copy otherwise, or to republish, raquiras a fse and/or specific permission. e 1991 ACM 0-89791 -383 -3/91 /0004 /0315 . ..$1.50 direct each is an important graphical current video teleconferencing facilities include overhead cameras or video copy stands for presenting images of drawings to remote barely material al. the electronic variety of this art form, wayang kdit, is shown in Figure VideoWhiteboard uses a similar shadowy effect help remote collaborators work together. Permission space interactive collaborators two remote developed the manipulate to the audience. play performance uses are to a software pressed project distinct shadows shadows of the rods that used drawing for space was noted between shadow drama the screen. The puppets onto the screen while the perceptible from drawing a shadow the ACM copyright “Current address of first author is: John Tang, Sun 2550 Garcia Avenue, Mountain Microsystems, 94043, [email protected], View, California (415)336-1636. 315 graphics through a computer network become review). available These (see [Lauwers approaches, & Lantz, however, clumsy or limited in their interaction over drawings familiar with have ability to support fluent in a way that people are from face-to-face collaboration. VideoWhiteboard is one of a series of prototype that support collaborative drawing activity natural and familiar also 19901 for a are often way. It uses video tools in a technology to connect whiteboard-sized drawing surfaces It provides a shared between remote locations. “virtual whiteboard” that allows collaborators to interactively others’ create gestures marks in relation and see shadows of each to those Remote marks. Figure 2: Schematic Figure 3: User’s of 2-person VideoDraw collaborators can draw on, erase, and gesture at the VideoWhiteboard screens much as if they were The interacting around a shared whiteboard. development empirical [Tatar, of VideoWhiteboard is based studies of collaborative 1989] and is closely VideoDraw prototype [Tang& drawing related Minneman, This paper describes VideoWhiteboard process by which it is being developed. with a review of VideoDraw and describe on our activity to the 1990]. and the We begin how our experiences with VideoDraw led to the development of VideoWhiteboard. Then we describe what VideoWhiteboard is and report on early observations of Finally, we discuss some issues people using it. raised in these preliminary of VideoWhiteboard, prototype and about in general. observations both about collaborative the design of the drawing activity in Figure 2. It consists each other’s marks and the hand made in relation to those marks. view of a VideoDraw collaborative representation is shown in Figure screen drawing prototypes. An of this development process 4. An interdisciplinary working videotape records of face-to-face collaborative [Tang et al., 1990]. The analysis focused on drawing activity, from this analysis of an Observing interconnection of cameras aimed at video display screens. Users draw on the video display screen (using dry erase whiteboard markers) and those marks and accompanying hand gestures are imaged by the camera and displayed on the other screen. This arrangement creates a composite shared drawing surface where the collaborators can see typical of other idealized study work [Tang& Minneman, 19901 is a prototype enables collaborators to share a video A schematic diagram of a 2-person is shown of a VideoDraw group of anthropologists, computer scientists, and designers applied interaction analysis methods to EXPERIENCES WITH VIDEODRAW VideoDraw tool that sketchpad. VideoDraw view of the use how and a subset of the observations led to the design of VideoDraw. people used VideoDraw and com- paring it to how people work face-to-face led to the development of VideoWhiteboard. Although this idealization implies a linear sequence of steps, the actual process involved alternating between looking at various kinds of collaborative work (face-to-face, using VideoDraw, using other shared drawing tools) and modifying the designs of VideoDraw and VideoWhiteboard. gestures that are Figure 3 shows a screen. Our observations of people using confirmed that they often used hand While the design of VideoDraw was informed by studies of collaborative drawing activity, studying VideoDraw in use also contributed to a better understanding of that activity and the development VideoDraw gestures to enact simulations or mediate their interaction, and that these gestures were often made with respect to a referent sketch in the drawing space. Using 316 Figure 4: Iterative development of tools to support analyzing VideoDraw, remote collaborators were the process of creating and referring (rather than just seeing the resulting which is an important activity. resource Collaborators to be drawing VideoDraw drawing surface. and building able to see difficult to drawings drawings), in shared which cannot together over Furthermore, drawing used at the surface provides than, for example, computational to align were drawn). made on their be accoma single VideoDraw through marks helped several The limitations relatively in the small video request others to erase their upward facing CRT viewing ifications problem. to the observations informed \ .. \ VideoWhiteboard use of Straddling at the same to suggesting VideoDraw, of design the an time modthese Video- is ,’, /“ ,. :,:. .n .. .: .:,: :.:.:. .,.,.: ~ J t video projector Figure \,’. :.:,:. II ,.” ..,,, ..... . \,’. 1. . ,: .:.: I 5: Schematic Ii,: .:.. tool k ....: .::.. ,, l-l ....:. ...... ,.,.,. .:.:.: 317 ., x, ::::.: .:,.,. .:. :.:,,, system . = ;:.:.:.j of VideoWhiteboard o . /“ . ...... .:.:., /’ 1 . . ..:. :.:. ., .... / ,“/ ,’, .,, ,:,:,.: x prototype . . . . “ . /“ .,, ., .,, , .:.:., ,.:/ iii a video-based that provides a large area shared drawing space between remote sites. A schematic of a VideoWhiteboard system between two sites is shown in Figure 5. ... ...; . i ‘. \. FOR SHARED DRAWING A TOOL P ‘;’‘ ‘ LL?; while In addition design of ,,, ., .,., ,.. :::::. ‘N ‘“:,.. ‘ // marks. display the marks needed to Whiteboard. display video camera }1 of avoiding blocking the overhead camera with one’s head is uncomfortable and compounded the parallax a different sense of cursors interacting in a screens (20” diagonal) restricted the amount of text and graphics that could be drawn before effectively Parallax sometimes made it filling the screen. \ practice, made by the users because Users could only erase own screen and sometimes VIDEOWHITEBOARD 0 work sketchpad. We also observed VideoDraw. observing prototypes the glass thickness between the phosphor layer of the display (where others’ marks appeared) and the glass surface of the display (where a user’s marks us explore new ways of providing a sense of copresence among remote collaborators. The video image of the users’ hands working together over the drawing presence drawing activity, even occasionally in the same place same time, an interaction plished when working collaborative that i between two sites “.;: .:,. ... ::,.. ( al mode, Each site is equipped with a wall-mounted rear projection screen (approximately 4.5’ x 6’), a video camera, a video projector, and appropriate even The side of the screen However, of the projector entire the user, screen at the other and captures sends site, which it to presents user’s video each other. Users can projecting onto the write, used in there point in VideoWhiteboard is in some to the computer-generated VIDEOPLACE is a fundamental of view. silhouette [Krueger, 1982]. difference In VideoWhiteboard, from the the input screen for drawing marks and casting shadows is the same as the output screen for projecting the remote collaborators’ marks and shadows. Thus, the image users can add marks and gestures directly over the marks made by their remote collaborators. In the drawing applications of VIDEOPLACE, the input focus (drawing in space) and the output focus (watching a computer monitor) are separated, adding of their remote collaborators’ gestures and actions. An audio connection also enables the collaborators with effect similar image an image the shadowy ways on that screen. As each user draws on the screen, those marks are imaged by the camera and projected Along with an onto the screen at the other site. image of the marks, the camera also transmits a shadow of the collaborator to the screen at the remote site. The collaborators see a composite image of real and “video” marks, as well as shadows to talk it is actually audio equipment. Users draw on the smooth front surface of the screen using standard dry erase whiteboard markers. The video camera, located on the opposite from though rear of the screen. a level collaborators’ of indirection marks between the remote and actions. draw, erase, and gesture at the VideoWhiteboard screens much as if they were working together at a shared whiteboard. Figure 6 shows a user interacting with AND VIDEODRAW COMPARING VIDEOWHITEBOARD Like VideoDraw, VideoWhiteboard allows each user to share a drawing space and naturally draw, a remote gesture, and interact in that drawing space. Each user has a common view of the drawing space and collaborator through a VideoWhiteboard. Users at each site share a correct orientation to the and “left” have appropriate display surface— “right” meanings to the collaborators at both sites. Since can make meaningful diectic references (e. g., “this one”, “here”) to objects or locations in the drawing the camera sketches created by a collaborator at the remote site. They can gesture over sketches and the remote is on the opposite side of the screen space. from the user, it actually captures an image that is leftright reversed. This mirror image is corrected by operating the video projector in front projection Figure 6: Interacting with a remote can directly augment collaborators can see those the sketch. referent collaborator 318 Users through Users and interact gestures between VideoWhiteboard in relation remote over to sites even have such that concurrent more than access to the one person drawing space, can be working of people remotely collaborating for about one hour. Although we have not completed an extensive analysis, our initial observations have raised some interesting issues. in the same area at the same time. Figure 7 shows a composite image of the shadows of two collaborators from different sites superimposed on each other to show how they same space. are working closely together Features in the in Using Videowhiteboard Collaborating through the familiar whiteboard. used when pointing both VideoWhiteboard builds experience of working Most of the mechanisms working together and referring hands or multiple over a whiteboard to drawings, fingers, on together at for interaction (e.g., gesturing body a with language for eliciting responses or demonstrating reaction) appear to work among remote collaborators using VideoWhiteboard. Like using a whiteboard, VideoWhiteboard allows several people to be working on the drawing screen collaborators to work screen at the same time. who are working closely without in the having same their other’s way—more closely than they were physically working whiteboard. Figure 7: A composite collaborators image can work showing together user to work together VideoWhiteboard shows collaborators’ a full color image whereas of their remote shadow screen and the users are gestures positioned sides of the screen, obviating VideoDraw where the user’s camera’s view of the also less of a problem parallax having problem to view drawing (compare on opposite in VideoDraw surface. Parallax in each seems to convince some users that they was off to one side (not on or behind is since the was aggravated surface get would be possible if around the same location. The visual effect of seeing the of the remote collaborator projected onto the the audio one problem with head may block the in VideoWhiteboard, the drawing bodies sites drawing off axis from by the overhead camera. In this manner, VideoWhiteboard overcomes some of the limitations that were encountered in using Video Draw. OBSERVING VIDEOWHITEBOARD As with all of the prototype IN USE shared drawing tools being developed at PARC, we observed people using VideoWhiteboard in realistic work activity. Videowas set up connecting two rooms in Whiteboard different sections of the building. A half-duplex audio connection was provided by speakerphones. In addition to several short, informal uses of VideoWhiteboard, we observed two sessions are talking to their collaborator through a translucent sheet of glass. In one observed incident, a user did not hear her remote collaborator clearly and cocked her ear toward the projection screen while asking him to repeat what he said, as shown in Figure 8. Even though the speakerphone that was producing Video Draw Figures 3 and 6). VideoWhiteboard conveys gestures of the upper body, while VideoDraw shows mostly hand gestures. In VideoWhiteboard, the camera remote of the A common initial reaction to using VideoWhiteboard is that it feels like the remote collaborator is located on the other side of the screen, instead of in a around the screen within a shows a shadow of the gestures, area how remote in the same place Unlike VideoDraw, VideoWhiteboard has a large screen surface, which offers the users more drawing area. The large screen also allows more than one site. remote It also allows between Figure projection of pairs 319 8: A user directs her ear toward the screen as part of a gesture to hear her remote collaborator better the screen), response her gesture from her helped remote enunciated his comment. Although this impression evoke the desired collaborator; he of interacting with someone on the opposite side of a translucent screen is false, this illusion seldom disrupts (and may even help) the users’ ability to interact with each other in this situation. Even if the users are not operating under evoke that impression, VideoWhiteboard appropriate mechanisms for through it. Users quickly view of the marks collaborators, and their remote interesting the shadows superimposed that they share a on the screen with their remote they can see the shadows that collaborators An realize appears to interacting feature of cast on the screen. of VideoWhiteboard the remote direct ly on the collaborators screen Figure is that image shadows are Limitations Several collaborators at the drawing collaborators. alternated between attending to the collaborators’ drawing surface at the same time. In one sense, VideoWhiteboard VideoDraw’s ability to convey because entire large VideoWhiteboard conveys gestures body. VideoWhiteboard can that involve sustain The troublesome gesture an example of ‘<whatever, where it doesn’t of the convey shadow conveys using about or other objects in the use of the shadows do seem to a certain amount of gesare significantly less rich masking remote collaborator long-t erm interaction. effect when of the there is shadows is the the the enough is more to especially than one stereo which audio to help provide some location voice belongs to which shadow. cues The fundamental asymmetry between what a user actually does and what the remote collaborator can see through the projected shadow can cause some interfactional difficulties. Hand gestures that refer to precise locations (e.g., pointing) or subtle gestures that are performed screen (e.g., a head screen can provide differences in shade in the projected shadow depending on how close the object is to the screen. Thus, users get some idea of how collaborators were also observed Although a matter”. Although VideoWhiteboard does not present the same sense of 3-D that the full color image in VideoDraw does, the ambient lighting around the close their a and could not easily tell who they were interacting with in those situations. This problem might be eased by both arms and even the density collaborator within a site, which occurred in some of When the informal uses of VideoWhiteboard. collaborating with multiple remote collaborators that are visible only by their shadows, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish which shadow corresponds to which collaborator. Some users reported that they felt uncomfortable because they the some of the body language (e. g., shrugs) that people naturally use in interaction to elicit responses from their collaborators or demonstrate reaction. Figure 9 shows of focused, affords goes beyond hand gestures upper scale gestures shadows remote angle, and the than a full color video image. In particular, shadows do not afford eye contact between remote collaborators. It is unclear if seeing only looking actions through VideoWhiteboard effectively communicate tural information, they surface and looking up at the VideoWhiteboard aligns the drawing surface and the shadow of the into the same viewing collaborators providing a “heads-up display” effect that in Using limitations VideoWhiteboard. drawing surface. In face-to-face interaction around a whiteboard, fellow collaborators are either beside or behind a participant who is facing the whiteboard making a drawing. When using the VideoDraw down other body language in VideoWhiteboard screen in the remote site through sharpness of the projected shadow. where the marks and sketches are also appearing. This arrangement greatly reduces the division of attention that occurs in other collaborative drawing situations where participants must choose between looking at their collaborator or looking at the prototype, 9: Conveying some distance away from the nod) can be difficult to perceive. Similarly, if a user steps far enough away screen that she does not cast a perceivable are to the 320 from the shadow, the remote collaborator losing contact with her. may experience a sense of Unfortunately, users do not get any visible feedback they are projecting to as to what kind of shadow their remote collaborator, since the shadow is largely an artifact behind the screen. We observed ways users compensated for these potential to of the optics in which the difficulties sustain slightly to be large that enough technology their can be especially such close range Constructing careful optical when when drawing with made the users local cannot erase marks the users did not can only erase video shared build it A patent shared vehicle and as a prototype the use of withVideoDraw, drawing VideoWhiteboard, other prototype a tool. Charles Goodwin, particular prototypes. Kathy and research Studying VideoWhiteboard support remote for remote We plan and Marjorie Carter and collabo- to continue in order and how of the Conference (CHI) W., who to to for their volunteered for our analysis Artificial purposes. Reality, Reading, 1982. Chris and Awareness Keith in A. Lantz, Support of Requirements for the Window Systems”, Proc. on Computer W, (Seattle, WA, April March, Benjamin, Chinese their Making, Handbook Imprints, Goodwin Bob Anderson) Collaboration Transparency: Next Generation of Shared color video images of gestures. Comparing the two provides an opportunity to understand what interactions require the higher bandwidth full color shadows on interest in studying the shared drawing We also thank our colleagues (especially MA: Addison-Wesley, tools, and face-to-face interaction, is teaching us For more about collaborative drawing activity. VideoWhiteboard conveys gestures example, through shadows while VideoDraw conveys full gesture video has been filed tools. to use VideoWhiteboard in comparison shared drawing gestures of VideoDra w and what adequately supported by the application activity. drawing J. Lauwers, “Collaboration as robust bandwidth concept. drawing CONCLUSION both reasonably We would like to thank the working group of colleagues who have been involved in the group analysis of videotapes of work activity and Sara Bly, on remote screens. Also, a convenient means for useful be or low is a medium REFERENCES Krueger, Myron is might compression storing, retrieving, or printing the images on the screens, and did not have access to any previous images the y created. VideoWhiteboard is required ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS marks screen interacting studying the use of VideoWhiteboard learn more about collaborative activity on the screen). VideoWhiteboard made have quality, for at a VideoWhiteboard system requires alignment, since the area imaged by VideoDraw, on of learning ration that makes available important interfactional resources gestures, the process of creating and referring to drawings, and concurrent access to the It provides a different sense of codrawing space. presence from VideoDraw and other prototype tools a flicker viewed model minimal Since the video shadows used in place lower demands on video VideoWhiteboard each camera must exactly correspond with the area projected on by each video projector. The optical alignment of the superimposed images is only optimal in the center of the screen and gets progressively worse toward the edges of the screen. As image against transmission. Video to exhibit bothersome (i.e., familiar the VideoWhiteboard to be legible. also tends the configuration. VideoWhiteboard Despite its large screen area, VideoWhiteboard is limited by the resolution of the particular video technology used (approximately 330 by 240 television lines in our prototype). Consequently, users had to exaggerate their text and graphics projection upon a whiteboard, of the users. Existing video teleconferencing rooms that have rear projection video capability could be readily modified to provide a VideoWhiteboard (e.g., exaggerated gestures, staying close enough to the screen that they are always visible to each other through their shadows) in order interaction through VideoWhiteboard. builds around Human 1990), Interaction pp. 303-311. Shadow-figure XI, Detroit: Plays and Puppetry 1938. OBoyle, Leonard E., Praful H. Shah, and Gabe P. Torok, “Have blackboard, needn’t travel”, Bell Laboratories Record, (October 1979), pp. 255-258. interactions can be lower bandwidth of VideoWhiteboard. is also a useful collaborative prototype drawing. tool to Olson, Margrethe H. and Sara A. Bly, “The Portland Experience: A Report on a Distributed Research Since it Group”, 321 International Journal of Man-Machine Systems, Special Cooperative Work issue on Computer-Supported and Groupware, in press. Tang, Shared John et al., Drawing Corporation, Tang, John C. and Scott L. Minneman, A Video Interface for Collaborative of the Conference on Computer (CHI) WA, April ’90, (Seattle, “Observations Spaces”, Palo Alto on the Use videotape, Research Center, of Xerox 1990. “VideoDraw Drawing”, Human Proc. Interaction 1990), PP. 313-320. Tatar, Deborah, Shape the Bulletin, 322 “Using Design Vol. Video-Based of a New Observation Technology”, 21, No. 2, (October SIGCHI 1989), pp. 108-111. to
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