CALL FOR PAPERS
PERFORMANCE IN INTERACTION DESIGN
SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL INTERACTING WITH COMPUTERS

THEME
The operation of computers has always been a performative activity,  
in the sense that a system’s
state changes as a computer runs through a program acting out the  
tasks specified in the script of
a program. With interactive systems, human actors take their place on  
stage alongside computers
performing activities with and through such systems. The recent  
emergence of ubiquitous and
tangible computing moves the stage of the interaction from the  
virtuality of the screen to the
physical environment. This provides opportunities to address  
performative interactions that
include bodily movements to create novel multimodal approaches. For  
interaction designers this
requires thinking about interaction in a different way, for example  
considering the role of the body,
beyond ergonomics, for its increased relevance as a presentational,  
representational and
experiential medium. Recently there has been a growing interest in  
developing interaction design
methods that more explicitly recognise and exploit the performative  
elements and potentials of
design activity itself. Across all design disciplines the importance  
of effective communication has
led to an awareness of the need to consider and improve our ability  
to represent ideas in ways
that open up, rather than shut down, dialogue. Performance, theatre  
and dramaturgy have begun
to figure in the design of interactive systems. This issue of  
Interacting with Computers will provide
a focus for this growing topic of interest.

BACKGROUND
Across the many design disciplines that concern themselves with  
interaction design there have
been long standing debates about the nature, utility, form, timing  
and quality of communication
within the design process. For example, scenarios have found  
widespread acceptance as a tool
for communicating rich user experiences within requirements and  
design specifications. Whilst
they are typically not performed as such, their roots in the forms of  
traditional narrative point to a
performative potential that could be more fully explored. Within  
object-oriented software design,
the CRC Cards technique combines role-playing with scenario  
walkthroughs and use-cases to
provide design teams with a software Object’s perspective on the  
systems they’ are developing.
Finally, within the emerging communities of ‘interaction design’  
practitioners we have seen
interest in the potential of a variety of improvisational theatre  
techniques such as role playing and
bodystorming. All of this suggests that performance in interaction  
design ought to be a topic
worthy of serious consideration.

This special issue of Interacting with Computers aims to map the  
research landscape of
performance and interaction design, to uncover the many ways  
performance manifests itself in
design, and to identify methods that will encourage a wider range of  
designers and design
industries to exploit the potential of performance as a design tool.  
Themes relevant for
submission include (but are not limited to):

- Studies of human-human interaction in interaction design projects  
(design as
performance)
- Historical overviews of performative interaction design
- Critical reports on the use of theatre, performance and drama as  
tools for exploring
interaction design problems, themes or ideas, or as tools in concept  
design,
requirements generation, design and evaluation.
- Studies of the use of dramatic representations of interaction  
design ideas (e.g.
through the use of scenarios, textual or filmic)
- Evaluations and case studies of new and existing methods and  
techniques to exploit
performance in interaction design
- Reports on the use of performative techniques in the evaluation of  
designs
- Reflections on the impact of interactive technology on already  
exisiting performative
systems

We should stress that we are interested in any and all kinds of  
performance, for example
traditional or improvisational dramatic narrative, interactive  
theatre, filmed performance, dance,
music, etc. We are interested in exploring the widest possible range  
of ways performance has
been or could be utilised, explored or developed within interaction  
design contexts.

SUBMISSIONS
Deadline for submissions: February 24th 2006
Notification of Acceptance: 17th March 2006
Final version of accepted papers: 31st March 2006

Note this issue will be published in July 2006 - final versions must  
be in by the date stated.

Submission of manuscripts ( up to 10000 words) are invited. Please  
refer to
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/525445/ 
authorinstructions for
layout guidelines. However please note that in the first instance  
manuscripts should be sent to the
special issue editors AND NOT the journal itself. Nor should you use  
the online submission tool at
this stage.

Please **email** your submission (in MS Word or Acrobat PDF format) to
c,[log in to unmask]

REVIEW BOARD
David Benyon School of Computing, Napier University UK
Thomas Inns, School of Design, University of Dundee, UK
Giulio Jacucci, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology Finland
Tomi Kankainen, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology Finland
Catriona Macaulay, Interaction Design Lab, University of Dundee UK
Bonnie Nardi, Department of Informatics, University California,  
Irvine US
Alan Newell, Division of Applied Computing, University of Dundee, UK
Sally Jane Norman, The Culture Lab, University of Newcastle UK
Shaleph O’Neill, Interaction Design Lab, University of Dundee UK

GUEST EDITORS
Catriona Macaulay, Interaction Design Lab, University of Dundee UK
Giulio Jacucci, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology Finland
Shaleph O’Neill, Interaction Design Lab, University of Dundee UK
Tomi Kankainen, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology Finland