Abstract
Large displays have recently received a great deal of attention from funding agencies and the research community as a whole. Recent literature suggests that large displays (e.g. multiple monitor setups) offer a variety of benefits from increased performance in multi-tasking, 3D navigation, spatial memory, accuracy, insight, etc. Literature repeatedly shows that large displays as a whole provide a number of benefits for virtually every task. However, it is not currently known how large a display would be appropriate to maximize performance while maintaining minimal size and thus minimal cost.

The presentation will first cover how large displays are currently being constructed and deployed. Basic system administration with regard to creating a graphics cluster will be discussed. Space-scale theory pertaining to displays will be explored and show how it applies to the topic. Then a number of experiments that show how space-scale theory helps to answer what the optimal size display should be are shown. Ergonomics, form factor, and visual acuity will also be discussed.

After the implications of space-scale theory are briefly discussed human-computer interaction principles pertaining to large display will be outlined. Interaction and physical versus virtual navigation will receive attention and will help explain how they relate to space-scale theory.

Finally, the presentation will cover a number of explanations why many large displays, such as CAVEs and powerwalls are rarely used. Future directions and the need for changes in how people use large displays will be conclude the presentation.

Bio
Robert Ball received the M.S. degree from Brigham Young University in Computer Science in 2003. He is currently completing his Ph.D. work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) specializing in information visualization and human-computer interaction with large displays. He has several years experience working in industry as a software engineer. He also has several years experience teaching at the university level, both as a teaching assistant and as an instructor.