In this paper we examine tilted tabletops as workspaces for computer-supported group collaboration. The configuration of a tilted tabletop is considered to be in between a fully horizontal tabletop and a vertical whiteboard. We describe related work, and provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of such a configuration. Furthermore, we present the results of a user study about tilted tabletops. We captured the tilt angle preference of 78 participants using mock-ups of the basic workspace elements. The study was conducted after they experienced a combined distributed and co-located collaboration. The results of the study reveal that the majority of the participants prefer a tilted workspace rather than a fully horizontal one for interaction. We discuss the implications of these results for the design of tabletop-based collaborative environments.

~We describe the i-LAND environment which constitutes an example of our vision of the workspaces of the future, in this case supporting cooperative work of dynamic teams with changing needs. i-LAND requires and provides new forms of human-computer interaction and new forms of computer-supported cooperative work. Its design is based on an integration of information and architectural spaces, implications of new work practices and an empirical requirements study informing our design. i-LAND consists of several 'roomware' components, i.e. computer-augmented objects integrating room elements with information technology. We present the current realization of i-LAND in terms of an interactive electronic wall, an interactive table, two computer-enhanced chairs, and two "bridges" for the Passage-mechanism. This is complemented by the description of the creativity support application and the technological infrastructure. The paper is accompanied by a video figure in the CHI'99 video program.

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