ACM Conference on Universal Usability: Solutions, Systems, and Methods
http://www.acm.org/sigchi/cuu/

Washington, DC
November 16-17, 2000

Organized by ACM SIGCHI

In cooperation (pending) with The ACM United States Public Policy Committee,
The ACM Special Interest Group on Computers and Society, the ACM Special
Interest Group on Computers and the Physically Handicapped, the ACM Special
Interest Group on Documentation, the ACM Special Interest Group on Graphics
and Interaction, the Association Francophone de l'Interaction Homme-Machine,
the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, the Human Factors &
Ergonomics Society, the Society for Technical Communication, and the
Usability Professionals Association. 

Call for Participation

The starting trajectory of the next millennium can be characterized largely
by the progress of computing and communications technology. Cheaper and
faster processors, storage, and networks combined with better user
interfaces, have now spawned the incredible growth of the Internet and
related services. Too often, however, system complexity, incompatible
software versions and file formats, confusing interfaces, and inadequate
attention to diverse users lead to confusion, frustration, and failure. It's
time to address this challenge. 

We invite submissions for the ACM Conference on Universal Usability, to be
held in Washington, DC, November 16 and 17, 2000. We seek work whose aim is
to enable the widest range of users to succeed in using technology for
information, communications, entertainment, education, e-commerce, civic
systems, and government services. Challenges include the diversity of users
(experts & novices, old & young, educated & illiterate, disabled, forgotten,
those in ill health, etc.); the wide range of technology (e.g.; 100 to 1
ratios in processor and network speeds), and the gap between what users know
and what they need to know. We are interested in research, new systems and
technologies, empirical evaluations of systems, policy suggestions, and
systems that support community activities. A diverse set of participants is
expected including technologists, policy makers, advocates, users, and
researchers.  

Specific topics include (but are not limited to) the following: 

  Solutions to address the politics, policies, and economics of universal
  usability and evaluations of those solutions. 

    New pricing schemes and new services (911, first aid, voting, etc.)  

    Methods of measuring intellectual capital and the value of diverse access. 

    Ethical considerations and design trade-offs involved with universal
    usability. 

    Methods to help communities with special needs articulate and share those
    needs and/or create their own solutions. 

  Solutions to accommodate variations in hardware, software, and network
  access as well as empirical evaluations of these systems. 

    Middleware translation systems to support various display and input
    devices among versions and formats. 

    Designs for modular software and hardware components that interconnect
    reliably. 

    Standards and protocols that address these variations. 

  Solutions to accommodate users who differ in attributes such as skill,
  knowledge, age, gender, disabilities, literacies, languages, cultures, and
  income and evaluations of such solutions. 

    Methods for users to adapt and personalize systems according to their
    expertise, reading level, learning style, etc. 

    Methods to accommodate environmental and social variations. 

    Software management tools to support multiple versions in multiple
    languages. 

    Improved customer service, on-line help, and on-line training. 

  Solution processes for better understanding users, contexts, and tasks. 

    Ethnographic observations to capture diversity. 

    Participatory design. 

    Social impact statements. 

    Usability tests with stratified user groups. 

    Ensuring diversity in heuristic evaluations. 

    Globalization and localization processes. 

    Lifecycle design issues or methods for addressing universal usability. 


Just as there are a broad range of possible approaches to universal
usability, we also seek contributions in a variety of presentation formats
including formal papers, panels, and poster sessions.  

1) Papers. We solicit original, concise, and insightful papers of work based
   on providing real solutions, partial solutions, or lessons learned from
   failures which can be of benefit to the field. Papers should include a
   description of the context of use, the user(s) involved in the solution, a
   description of the attempted solution, a description of the impact, and
   lessons learned. Papers should be at most 8 ACM conference pages (about
   4000 words). 

2) Panels. Proposals for panels that synthesize and orient work in the area,
   especially across disciplinary boundaries, are encouraged. Panel proposals
   should define an issue, list proposed panel members, their backgrounds,
   and their basic positions. Panel proposals should be two pages long.
   Panels should provide for interaction among members and with the audience
   and should not consist of a series of independent mini-papers. 

3) Posters. In some cases, a more appropriate means of describing your work
   may be in an informal, interactive setting. Proposals for Interactive
   Posters should include a two page description of the work and one page
   that shows the general outline of the poster. 

All accepted submissions will be included in a (paper) proceedings published
by ACM and appear in the ACM Digital Library as well as being presented at
the conference. In addition, Robert Kling will consider selected papers for a
special issue of The Information Society. 

Please send 5 copies of your proposal to:
Jean Scholtz
DARPA/ITO
3701 Fairfax Dr.
Arlington, VA  22203-1714
jscholtz@darpa.mil
703/696-4469

Include a cover letter indicating the primary contact person for the
submission (including name, affiliation, address, phone number, fax number,
and e-mail address).

All proposals should follow the SIGCHI conference format:
(http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chipubform/).  

Critical Dates:

Proposals should be received by May 1, 2000.
Authors will be notified by June 15, 2000.
Final camera ready copies will be due by July 15, 2000.

Committee (preliminary)

Ben Shneiderman

Jolle Coutaz
David Novick

Jean Scholtz
John Thomas

Deborah Boehm-Davis
Penny Collings
Sara Czaja
Bertrand David
Donald Day
Bob Ellis
Batya Friedman
Ephraim Glinert
Harry Hochheiser
Kori Inkpen
Keith Instone
Julie Jacko
Robert Kling
Alfred Kobsa
Cecilia Kullman
Bill LaPlant
Sharon Laskowski
Michael Levi
Kent Marquis
Dianne Martin
Brad Mehlenbacher
Michael Muller
Alan Newell
Jennifer Preece
Janice Redish
Susan Harkness Regli
Janice Rohn
Andrew Sears
Eugene Spafford
Constantine Stephanidis
Marilyn Tremaine
Johanna Weinstein
Charles Wiecha

