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 Joëlle 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