1. An Introduction to Collaboration Meets Interactive Spaces

Interactive Surfaces and Spaces have become ever more pervasive in the past decade. Indeed, the current explosion of media that pervades our everyday lives invades our senses through (increasingly) interactive displays surfaces in all sizes, shapes and formats. Indeed, interactive walls, tables, mobiles (tablets and phones), as well as wearables change the way human beings interact with information and collaborate with one another. At the same time, these surfaces and devices are redesigned and reinvented through new social protocols and collaborative work styles that arise from the experimentation and long-term usage of novel people/device ecologies. The book reflects a high interest among researchers and practitioners about this particular approach and the challenges it entails. It offers an up to date and comprehensive scientific overview of the new generation of devices and their myriad combinations. While pervasive display technologies are changing the way we relate to media, people and society are also shaping and adapting new techniques, methods and idioms. Our purpose is to update both researchers and practitioners with exciting new work around the emergence of social protocols that arise from the experimentation and long time usage of interactive surfaces and also includes numerous case studies, based on recent work.