[alife] CFP extended deadline Absue the darker side of HCI

Brahnam research at knockloudly.com
Mon May 23 21:56:17 PDT 2005


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                          CALL FOR WORKSHOP PAPERS
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“Abuse: the darker side of human-computer interaction”
An INTERACT 2005 Workshop
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Date: Monday, September 12 (Full day)
Location: Rome, Italy
Submission Deadline: extended to May 30
Web-site: www.agentabuse.org
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AIMS AND SCOPE OF THE WORKSHOP
==============================
Computers are often the subject of our wrath and often, we feel, 
with good reason.  There seems to be something intrinsic to this 
medium which brings out the darker side of human nature.  This may 
be due to the computer complexity which induces errors and 
frustrations in the user (bad interface design), to the human 
tendency to respond socially to computers (media equation), or to a 
disinhibition effect induced by the interaction with a different 
form of information processor, perceived as inferior (master/slave 
relationship).  

As software is evolving from the tool metaphor to the agent one, 
understanding the role of abusive behaviour in HCI and its effect on 
the task-at-hand becomes increasingly important.  The reaction of 
traditional software to abuse is obvious - it should, like a hammer, 
ignore it.  With the agent model, however, software can be 
autonomous and situated.  That is, it should be possible to create 
software that takes note of its surroundings, and responsibility for 
its actions.  Conversational agents are a clear case of a software 
entity which might be expected to deal with abuse.  Virtual 
assistants, to take a classic application instance, should not just 
provide timely information; a virtual assistant must also be a 
social actor and participate in the games people play.  Some of 
these games appear to include abusive behaviour.  

This workshop aims to bring together papers that transcend 
disciplinary boundaries. Papers are solicited from researchers and 
practitioners who have encountered the occurrence of abuse in HCI 
and CMC and given some thought to why and how it happens. Papers 
that explore virtual abuse and the abuse of agents as cultural 
artifacts are particularly welcome. We hope this will provide a 
forum for discussing both the reasons behind aggressive behaviour 
and suggestions for how software should deal with abuse. 

Relevant topics include but are not limited to
* determinants and correlates of end user frustration 
* emotional reactions to computing technology
* emotional interfaces – how to deal with negative emotions
* conversational agents and abusive language
* conflict resolution in face-to-face communication and CMC 
* flaming and disinhibition in HCI and CMC
* art on the edge
* relationship of the virtual and the real, the literal and metaphor
* Outing, passing, hiding, covering -- how are agents designed to seem "normal" 
  and what are the assumptions about "being human" that inform the design 

INTENDED AUDIENCE AND WORKSHOP FORMAT
=====================================
The workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary group of 
researchers and practitioners in human computer interaction, 
computer mediated communication, intelligent virtual agents, game 
design, social psychology, cultural critics and art.  The program 
will feature the presentation of refereed papers, demos and poster 
followed by interactive sessions drawn on a number of scenarios 
which will be distributed prior to the workshop.  A part of the 
discussion will concentrate on the definition of a roadmap for 
future research.

SUBMISSIONS AND DISSEMINATION
================================
We seek:
- Position papers (4 pages) reporting on experiences, theories, case 
studies and experiments.
- Theoretical papers (4 pages) discussing cultural, artistic, 
political, and philosophical issues.
- Demo submissions (4 pages). 
- Poster submission (1 page description of the poster or 1 page 
sketch of the poster)

Position and theoretical papers as well as demo submissions will be 
peer reviewed and should be formatted according to the LNCS (Lecture 
Notes in Computer Science) format (templates are available at 
Springer-Verlag LNCS Authors’ Instructions page and at 
www.Interact2005.org at the Submission page ).  

Please e-mail your submission in PDF to 
Antonella.de-angeli at manchester.ac.uk 
(cc pwallis at acm.org)

Accepted papers will appear in the workshop proceedings and will be 
posted on the web (www.agentabuse.org).  Outcomes of the workshop 
will be summarised and posted on agentabuse.org, which is intended 
to become a dynamic repository for relevant research.  If enough 
interest is gathered from the participants, we will explore 
alternatives such as a special journal issue or a book collection. 

IMPORTANT DATES
===============
   May 23: submission
   June 6: Notification of acceptance
   June 10: Registration dead-line for presenters    
   July 1: camera ready copies
   September 12: workshop

REGISTRATION
===============
Registration will cost 150 Euro before June 10 and 200 Euro after 
this date.  Participants will register through the conference 
website (http://www.interact2005.org/).  

ORGANISING COMMITTEE
===================
Co-Chairs: 
  Sheryl Brahnam (Missouri State University), US
  Antonella De Angeli (University of Manchester), UK
  Peter Wallis (University of Sheffield), UK

Programme Committee
  Pamela Briggs (Northumbria University), UK
  Alan Dix (Lancaster University), UK
  Dirk Heylen (University of Twente), Holland
  Graham Johnson (NCR), UK
  Catherine Pelachaud (Universite de Paris 8), France
  Daniela Petrelli (University of Sheffield), UK
  Laurent Romary (INRIA), France
  Daniela Romano (University of Sheffield), UK
  Oliviero Stock (IRST), Italy
  Alistair Sutcliffe (University of Manchester), UK
  Sean Zdenek (Texas Tech University), US
  Yorick Wilks (University of Sheffield), UK

Contact Information.  
For information, expressions of interest and/or submission please 
contact 
Antonella De Angeli
Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design
School of Informatics, the University of Manchester, 
Manchester
M60 1QD
United Kingdom 
Antonella.de-angeli at manchester.ac.uk





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