xXtraLab's Multitouch Table

Thanks to Lynn Marentette for the heads up on xXtraLab's cool i-TeaTable an experimental multitouch surface device that is pretty big and has the form factor of a tea tray rather than a coffee table.

What's the difference between a tea tray and coffee table? . The Taiwan tea tray is set very low to the ground compared to the western coffee table. In addition the way in which people use a Taiwan tea tray is decidedly different than a coffee table. With a tea tray you sit on your knees close to the tray. A coffee table is used to rest your drinks while you sit in a chair. It's a subtle but important difference.

Apparently, from the perspective of designers I've spoken to, the Microsoft Surface is too low. They tell me that a multi-touch table needs to be a little more than waste high to be effective. But is that a Western sensibility? The i-TeaTable is even lower than the Microsoft Surface.

I believe that such a broad generalization is wrong. Doesn't the form factor of the table depend on the context in which the device is used? If you watch the video of the i-TeaTable everyone involved is on there knees and seem quite comfortable snuggling up to the padded sides of the table to interact with it.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that the form factor depends on the context, which includes not only the setting in which the device will be used but the cultural context.