User Interface Issues for Telepresentations

Common paradigms for human-computer interaction used in the design of general computer interfaces are often not suited for the telepresentation scenario. This is true for hardware input devices, generally keyboard and mouse, as well as for software user interfaces. The use of alternative input devices and the adaption of the according software is necessary to gain full profit of the augmented possibilities computer supported presentations can offer. In this paper we will present different hardware devices and discuss their usability for telepresentations. Various experiments carried out in miscellaneous lectures at our university indicated numerous problems and requirements for the hardware and software. We will present our experiences, discuss the occurring problems as well as possible solutions, and address current and future research areas.