<p>This study investigates a new interaction technique for collaboration on handheld computers called Pick-and-Drop. The technique is an extension of the popular Drag-and-Drop method used in many graphical interfaces today, but with Pick-and-Drop on-screen objects can be picked from one screen with a pen and dropped onto another. </p><p>The aim of the study is to answer whether Pick-and-Drop promote collaboration among children by letting them focus more on other users and the task at hand than on the computer interaction. The study also investigates in what way collaborative situations can benefit from Pick-and-Drop. </p><p>A prototype Pick-and-Drop system was implemented on four customized handheld computers equipped with wireless network communication. The prototype allowed spontaneous collaboration using ad-hoc networks and peer-to-peer communication. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags were used to identify the pens when picking and dropping objects from the screen. </p><p>Ten children aged 6-7 years old participated in the study at an after- school recreational centre. They tried Pick-and-Drop by playing a collaborative game of buying and selling apples using golden coins represented as icons on the screen. The test was video filmed for later analysis. </p><p>The study showed that Pick-and-Drop offers effective collaborative interaction based on a mix of turn taking and concurrent interaction. Users do not have to switch focus when using an application or sharing data as the interaction style stays the same. There was an interesting difference in control over the interaction when users shared objects by “giving” or by “taking”. Users stayed in better control when they shared objects through giving.</p>

This study investigates a new interaction technique for collaboration on handheld computers called Pick-and-Drop. The technique is an extension of the popular Drag-and-Drop method used in many graphical interfaces today, but with Pick-and-Drop on-screen objects can be picked from one screen with a pen and dropped onto another. The aim of the study is to answer whether Pick-and-Drop promote collaboration among children by letting them focus more on other users and the task at hand than on the computer interaction. The study also investigates in what way collaborative situations can benefit from Pick-and-Drop. A prototype Pick-and-Drop system was implemented on four customized handheld computers equipped with wireless network communication. The prototype allowed spontaneous collaboration using ad-hoc networks and peer-to-peer communication. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags were used to identify the pens when picking and dropping objects from the screen. Ten children aged 6-7 years old participated in the study at an after- school recreational centre. They tried Pick-and-Drop by playing a collaborative game of buying and selling apples using golden coins represented as icons on the screen. The test was video filmed for later analysis. The study showed that Pick-and-Drop offers effective collaborative interaction based on a mix of turn taking and concurrent interaction. Users do not have to switch focus when using an application or sharing data as the interaction style stays the same. There was an interesting difference in control over the interaction when users shared objects by “giving” or by “taking”. Users stayed in better control when they shared objects through giving.