Chi 2011 - Connecting

CHI 2011 Conference Preview

"As technology pervades our environments and our lives, computer-human interaction professionals are empowered with the ability to use technology to understand and enhance the human condition like never before. The upcoming Computer-Human Interaction (CHI 2011) conference offers an extensive program of innovative ideas in research and practice that blazes new paths toward a brave new world,” notes Dr. Desney S. Tan, CHI 2011 General Conference Chair and Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research.

Tan's research and experience in human-computer interaction have given him first-hand knowledge of how ideas born at this conference have culminated in useful, usable technologies that transform our lives. This year’s event is scheduled May 7-12 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in British Columbia, Canada. Join us at CHI 2011 in Vancouver and prepare yourself for connecting... and interacting with the future of technology.

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About the CHI Conference

Originally a small conference for psychologists interested in user interface design, the annual CHI conference has grown to include a very diverse participant group (such as interaction designers, computer scientists, engineering psychologists, developers, performing artists, and more), and to deal with larger problems such as the organizational integration of technology. This year’s conference marks 29 years of research, innovation and development in the field of Human-Computer Interaction and is expected to draw more than 2500 professionals from over 40 countries. CHI 2011 offers provocative opportunities for connecting and interacting with future technologies.

Featuring over 800 works, the CHI conference is the premier worldwide forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of human-computer interaction. Typically the works presented address the concerns of the design, engineering, management and user experience professionals. This year's conference also features works that focus on: child-computer interaction; entertainment; health and sustainability. Works are presented in several different venues: preconference workshops and the doctoral consortium are scheduled first. The main conference includes panel discussions, courses that provide leading-edge HCI knowledge, paper sessions, case studies, works-in-progress, student design and research competitions, interactive demonstrations, special interest groups, and a Tuesday evening video night (popcorn included).

Also of interest are special presentations on future technologies for improving the quality of life through social networking and other emerging areas of global concern. The following areas represent a small portion of the total conference. For complete information about this year’s conference, consult the Advance Program.

Glimpse of the Future

Paper on Your Noise is My Command: Sensing Gestures Using the Body as an Antenna

Paper on CueT: Human-Guided Fast and Accurate Network Alarm Triage

Paper on Mid-air Pan-and-Zoom on Wall-sized Displays

Paper on A Professional Multi-touch Tool for Constructing Virtual Organic Environments

Paper on Privacy Risks Emerging from the Adoption of Innocuous Wearable Sensors in the Mobile Environment

Paper on Exploring Camera Viewpoint Control Models for a Multi-Tasking Setting in Teleoperation

Paper on Pinstripe: Eyes-free Continuous Input on Interactive Clothing

Paper on MicroManderin: Mobile Language Learning in Context

Paper on RoboShop: Multi-layered Sketching Interface for Robot Housework Assignment and Management

Case Study on: The Shape of Simon: Creative Design of a Humanoid Robot Shell

Social Networking

Opening keynote speaker Howard Rheingold's presentation on Social Networking

Closing keynote speaker Ethan Zuckerman's closing presentation on Social Networking

Paper on Dealing with Death in Designing and Developing Systems for the Bereaved

Paper on "Voluntweeters": Self-Organizing by Digital Volunteers in Times of Crisis

Paper on Synchronous Interaction Among Hundreds: An Evaluation of a Conference in an Avatar-based Virtual Environment

Paper on Life Modes in Social Media

Paper on Social Capital on Facebook: Differentiating Uses and Users

Paper on Social Media Ownership: Using Twitter as a Window onto Current Attitudes and Beliefs

Case Study on Leading Change with Collaborative Design Workshops

Paper on Redesigns as an Act of Violence: Disrupted Interaction Patterns and the Fragmenting of a Social Q&A Community

Paper on Design Lessons from the Fastest Q&A Site in the West

Improving Health

Panel on Facebook for Health: Opportunities and Challenges for Driving Behavioral Change

Panel on Re-engineering Health Care with Information Technology

Paper on Group Pulmonary Rehabilitation Delivered to the Home via the Internet: Feasibility and Patient Perception

Paper on Patient-Friendly "Micro-explanations" of Medical Events

Paper on Exploring the Potential for Touchless Interaction in Image-Guided Interventional Radiology

Paper on Motivating Mobility: Designing for Lived Motivation in Stroke Rehabilitation

Paper on Promoting Empathy Towards Aphasia Through Language Distortion Emulation Software

Paper on Cueing for Drooling in Parkinson's Disease

Paper on Competing Online Viewpoints and Models of Chronic Illness

Paper on Opportunities for Computing Technologies to Support Healthy Sleep Behaviors

Presentation on Happiness Counter: Smile-Encouraging Appliance to Increase Positive Mood

Special interest group session on Interactive Technologies for Health

Paper on Reflecting on Pills and Phone Use: Supporting Awareness of Functional Abilities for Older Adults

Persuasive Health Systems

Paper on Mining Behavioral Economics to Design Persuasive Technology for Healthy Choices

Paper on Means Based Adaptive Persuasive Systems

Paper on Fit4Life: The Design of a Persuasive Technology Promoting Healthy Behavior and Ideal Weight

Paper on Designing for Peer Involvement in Weight Management

Entertainment

Panel of distinguished scholars will consider The World of Warcraft as a Global Artifact

Paper on Introverted Elves & Conscientious Gnomes: The Expression of Personality in World of Warcraft

Paper on An Exploratory Study of Input Modalities for Mobile Devices Used with Museum Exhibits

Paper on Guess Who? Enriching the Social Graph through a Crowdsourcing Game

Paper on Love, Hate, Arousal and Engagement: Exploring Audience Responses to Performing Arts

Paper on Buzzing to Play: Lessons Learned From an In the Wild Study of Real-time Vibrotactile Feedback

Paper on Designing Sports: A Framework for Exertion Games

Special interest group on Digital Arts and Interaction

Teens and Technology

Paper on Social and Technical Challenges in Parenting Teens' Social Media Use

Paper on Exploring Evaluations of a Computer Game Supporting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents

Paper on In the Mood: Engaged Teenagers in Psychotherapy Using Mobile Phones

Paper on Teenagers and Their Virtual Possessions: Design Opportunities and Issues

Paper on Homeless Young People and Living with Personal Digital Artifacts

Connecting Children and Families Through Technology

Panel on The Future of Child-Computer Interaction

Paper on Infrastructures for Low-cost Laptop Use in Mexican Schools

Paper on Hello, is Grandma There? Let's Read! StoryVisit: Family Video Chat and Connected E-Books

Paper on Family Portals: Connecting Families Through A Multifamily Media Space

Sustainability

Case study on Flo: Raising Family Awareness about Electricity Use

Paper on Practices in the Creative Reuse of e-Waste

Paper on Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe Bombe: Authoring Urban Landscapes with Air Quality Sensors

Note on A Phenomenology of Human-Electricity Relations

Technology in Developing Regions

Paper on A Design Model for Women's Empowerment in the Developing World

Paper on Designing an E-Solution for Linking Informal Self-Help Groups in Africa.

Paper on Designing for Emerging Rural Users: Experiences from China

Paper on The Times They Are A-Changin': Mobile Payments in India

Transaction on CHI Designing Mobile Interfaces for Novice and Low-Literacy Users

Plenary Speakers

CHI 2011 opening speaker, Howard Rheingold, an acknowledged authority on mobile communications discusses the evolution and future of social media in teaching and learning. Rheingold, the author of Smart Mobs, innovator, and Stanford University lecturer, notes, the "use of social media in higher education teaching sessions can provide opportunities for innovative and meaningful interactions that extend far beyond the traditional face-to-face classroom experience."

Also addressing the conference is Harvard University's Ethan Zuckerman on how social media tools have enabled people around the world to influence world views. The democratization of publishing makes it possible to encounter news and perspectives from far beyond our national borders, Zuckerman notes, But it also encourages us to pay attention to what friends find interesting and compelling, which often reinforces our existing prejudices and preconceptions.

Interactivity (Interactive Demonstrations and Performances)

Interactivity is a highly visible program that features 24 hands-on demonstrations and interactive performances. These interactive exhibitions developed by leading researchers will be on display at CHI 2011. The first group of demonstrations opens on Monday evening; the second is available on Tuesday. Three performances are integrated into the conference. A few of this year features include:

Coco - The Therapy Robot
Touch and Copy, Touch and Paste
Mouseless - a Computer Mouse as Small as Invisible
Blinky Blocks: A Physical Ensemble Programming Platform
humanaquarium: Exploring Audience, Participation, and Interaction
Snaplet: Using Body Shape to Inform Function in Mobile Flexible Display Devices

Key Contributor Recognition Awards

Larry Tesler, of Tesler Consulting, will be recognized with the SIGCHI Lifetime Practice Award for his outstanding interface design work.

Alan Newell, of the University of Dundee, will be recognized with the SIGCHI Social Impact Award for his prescient view on interaction design and older adults.

Clayton Lewis, of University of Colorado, will be recognized with the SIGCHI Social Impact Award for his early understanding of the value of interaction with technology from multiple directions.

Terry Winograd, of Stanford University, will be recognized with a Lifetime Research Award for expanding the dimensions of humanness in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI).

Arnie Lund, of Microsoft Research, will be recognized with the SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award

Jim Miller, of Miramontes Interactive, will be recognized with the SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award.

Stuart Card, of Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), one of the fathers of the field of Human-Computer Interaction, will be honored for his lifelong contributions to the field.

Join SIGCHI Lifetime Achievement recipient, Bill Buxton, as he presents An Informal Walk through 35 years of Collecting the History of Interactive Devices.

Courses

In addition to the technical presentations, CHI 2011 offers a diverse series of 32 full and half-day courses. These courses range from basic classes, such as Human-Computer Interaction: Introduction and Overview to narrowly focused advanced topics, such as New Methods for Designing for and with the iChild: Strategies for Today's Mobile, Social, and Internet Technologies. Other examples of the wide range of offerings include Inspiring Mobile Interaction Design and Understanding Users in Context: Fieldwork in User-Centered Design.

Professional Networking/Job Fair

Valued equally with the technical sessions and courses are the informal conversations that help form a community of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) professionals. Many attendees return each year because the relationships formed with other members of the community are as important as technical sessions. Conference attendees can spend their days encountering unexpected new ideas and taking advantage of formal and informal networking opportunities to discuss them. Of special interest is the Tuesday night, (coming soon), a scheduled time for interested participants to explore employment opportunities.

Conference Sponsors

Organizations contributing to the financial support of the conference include Champion Sponsors Bloomberg; eBay; Google, Inc.; Microsoft Corp.; SAP and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Contributing Sponsors include Autodesk, EventBurn, GRAND, Nokia and IBM Research. See a complete list of the CHI 2011 sponsors.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, www.acm.org, is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.

About SIGCHI

CHI 2011 is sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Human Interaction (SIGCHI). The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction, , is the world’s largest association of professionals in the research and practice of computer-human interaction. SIGCHI serves as a forum for ideas on how people communicate and interact with computer systems. This interdisciplinary group of computer scientists, software engineers, psychologists, interaction designers, graphic designers, sociologists, and anthropologists is committed to designing useful, usable technology which has the potential to transform individual lives. SIGCHI has more than 60 local chapters for HCI professionals across five continents, publishes the SIGCHI Bulletin quarterly, and co-sponsors conferences and workshops to advance the field of computer-human interaction.

Contact Information

Rosemary W. Stevens
CHI 2011 Publicity Coordinator
Ace Public Relations, Palo Alto
+1 650 494 2800

Image credits: Flickr user Sergio Savarese
© 2010 ACM SIGCHI Contact Webmaster

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