Thought this might be of interest to some on the list?

Mark R Hancock
MemeCortex.net

  
 From: simon fildes and katrina mcpherson <[log in to unmask]>

 
 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
 
 
 
 
 

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