Xiaojun Bi, Ravin Balakrishnan
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Summary:
Previous studies have shown that users prefer large, high-resolution displays over smaller single displays and multi-monitor displays. Studies have also shown that, while the high-resolution displays are preferred, these displays also have some flaws, such as "keeping track of the cursor, distal access to windows and icons, and window management." These flaws can be attributed to the fact that the operating systems were not designed with these high-resolution displays in mind. This paper covers a user study that focused on studying how users managed windows when using a large display.
The authors observed that users managed windows very differently when using the large display then when using a normal single or dual desktop setup. When using a single display, users would have to do a lot of window switching. On a dual monitor setup, users would have a focal region and a peripheral region. The focal region would be one entire screen and the peripheral region would be the second screen. The main tasks get taken place in the focal region and the user will glance over at the peripheral region when information is needed from that region.
When using the large display, users would have a focal region and a peripheral region also. The focal region would be in the center of the screen and the peripheral region would be an on the left, top, and right sides of the screen. The peripheral regions are used for passive windows that are holding information but are not interacted with. Whenever a window that is in the peripheral region of the screen needed to be interacted with, the users always tended to grab the window, move it to the center of the screen, and resize it.
Looking at the trends of the users that used the high-resolution display, the authors suggested some improvements to current operating systems so that they can cater to larger displays. First, it was suggested to have the minimize and maximize buttons replaced by a button that would bring a window to the center of the screen and brought into the focal region. Second, whenever is dragged into the peripheral region, the window should automatically enlarge so that it can be easily seen even though it is at the perimeter of the screen.
Discussion:
This was an interesting paper. I personally enjoy the larger screens I have used and I am glad that some research is going into catering to those that use these large monitors. I have no good guess on how long it will take any of the major operating system developers to integrate this research into their operating systems. I hope that these developers start taking notice of these new user strategies of window management as computer displays become cheaper and larger.
Multi monitor displays have been around for awhile now and the operating systems do not seem to cater to these setups. To get good window management for this kind of setup, third party utilities need to be bought. Even though these large desktops are useful, window management for high-resolution displays might get as much attention from the operating system developers as the multi monitor window management has gotten: little to none. The only reason I can think of that might lead to more window management utilities at the operating system level for high-resolution displays is because it could become more popular than multi monitor setups. Setting up multiple monitors may present enough extra difficulty that it deters casual computer users. However, to get a high-resolution display setup, a user just has to throw more money in to buying the monitor. There is no added complexity to installing a high-resolution monitor over a standard resolution monitor.
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