alt.chi is a forum for controversial, risk-taking, and boundary pushing presentations at CHI. The CHI program committee formed alt.chi as a forum for innovative and insightful work that can go unrecognized through the standard review process. alt.chi papers often innovate methodologically, critique accepted practices, or take on controversial questions. alt.chi's open and juried review processes ensure that the year's best work in human computer interaction finds a space at CHI.
Anyone can browse, review, or discuss any of the submissions for a period of open review and debate. We think that open review is accountable and inclusive, and great for gauging a paper's capacity to stimulate interest and discussion. Instead of looking for flaws, imperfections, and reasons to reject a submission, we want to look for sparks of interest, originality, insight, and good reasons to accept a submission.
List of Accepted Submissions
Abba-Dabba-Ooga-Booga-Hoojee-Goojee-Yabba-Dabba-Doo: Stupidity, Ignorance & Nonsense as Tools for Nurturing Creative Thinking [link]
Author(s):
Dimitris Grammenos
Abstract:
Despite the present abundance of approaches and information related to creative thinking, three basic human traits have been completely overlooked although that, if cautiously used, can considerably contribute to the creative process. Not coincidentally, these traits are also the ones that education has traditionally demonized and designated as its major enemies: stupidity, ignorance and nonsense. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the positive aspects of these defamed traits but also provide practical advice on how they can be used for sparking and nurturing creative thinking and innovative design.
Building Castles in Quicksand: Blueprint for a Crowdsourced Study [link]
Author(s):
Arne Renkema-Padmos, Melanie Volkamer, Karen Renaud
Abstract:
Finding participants for experiments has always been a challenge. As technology advanced, running experiments online became a viable way to carry out research that did not require anything more than a personal computer. The natural next step in this progression emerged as crowdsourcing became an option. We report on our experience of joining this new wave of practice, and the difficulties and challenges we encountered when crowdsourcing a study. This led us to re-evaluate the validity of crowdsourced research. We report our findings, and conclude with guidelines for crowdsourced experiments.
Mining Online Software Tutorials: Challenges and Open Problems [link]
Author(s):
Adam Fourney, Michael Terry
Abstract:
Web-based software tutorials contain a wealth of information describing software tasks and workflows. There is growing interest in mining these resources for task modeling, automation, machine-guided help, interface search, and other applications. As a first step, past work has shown success in extracting individual commands from textual instructions. In this paper, we ask: How much further do we have to go to more fully interpret or automate a tutorial? We take a bottom-up approach, asking what it would take to: (1) interpret individual steps, (2) follow sequences of steps, and (3) locate procedural content in larger texts.
CHI 2039: Speculative Research Visions [link]
Author(s):
Eric Baumer, June Ahn, Mei Bie, Elizabeth Bonsignore, Ahmet Börütecene, Oǧuz Turan Buruk, Tamara Clegg, Allison Druin, Florian Echtler, Dan Gruen, Mona Leigh Guha, Chelsea Hordatt, Antonio Krüger, shachar maidenbaum, Meethu Malu, Brenna McNally, Michael Muller, Leyla Norooz, Juliet Norton, Oguzhan Ozcan, Donald Patterson, Andreas Riener, Steven Ross, Karen Rust, Johannes Schöning, M. Silberman, Bill Tomlinson, Jason Yip
Abstract:
This paper presents a curated collection of fictional abstracts for papers that could appear in the proceedings of the 2039 CHI Conference. It provides an opportunity to consider the various visions guiding work in HCI, the futures toward which we (believe we) are working, and how research in the field might relate with broader social, political, and cultural changes over the next quarter century.
Reflections on a Synergistic Format for Disseminating Research Through Design [link]
Author(s):
Jayne Wallace, Joyce Yee, Abigail Durrant
Abstract:
Research through design as a form of research inquiry is growing and becoming a more common approach within the HCI and design research field. However, questions as to how research generated through this approach is validated, disseminated and perceived in association with other approaches (particularly those from science) are currently being debated. This paper describes the philosophy and format of the Research Through Design (RTD) conference, which introduces a novel format based on foregrounding the artifact through an exhibition and dialogical discussion sessions. Critical reflections from organizers and participants have demonstrated that this format offers a more synergistic approach for the dissemination of research through design. However challenges remain centred on the role of the artifact in the evaluation, discussion, dissemination and documentation of research through design.
Reliability of NIRS-Based BCIs: a Placebo-Controlled Replication and Reanalysis of Brainput [link]
Author(s):
Megan Strait, Cody Canning, Matthias Scheutz
Abstract:
Previously, we contributed to the development of a brain-computer interface using functional near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to improve performance on a human-robot team task by adapting a robot's autonomy using NIRS-based classifications of multitasking states [14]. However, the finding of null results in a follow-up study prompted reinvestigation of the original system, Brainput, via a reanalysis of Brainput's signal processing on a larger NIRS dataset and a placebo-controlled replication using random (instead of NIRS-based) state classifications. This reinvestigation revealed confounds in the original study responsible for the initial performance improvements and indicated that further work in signal processing is necessary to achieve robust NIRS-based systems.
Hot Topics in CHI: Trend Maps for Visualising Research [link]
Author(s):
Stefano Padilla, Thomas Methven, David Corne, Mike Chantler
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to introduce a novel method of identifying and visualising research trends in an automated, unbiased way. The output of this we call a 'Trend Map', and in this paper we use it to present an at-a-glance overview of the CHI research area, showing which areas are 'hot', 'cold', and 'stable'. This specimen Trend Map was created using the past five years of CHI publications as our only input. We hope that providing this at-a-glance overview of the recent CHI area will encourage introspection and discussion within the community.
None of a CHInd: Relationship Counselling for HCI and Speech Technology [link]
Author(s):
Matthew Aylett, Per Ola Kristensson, Steve Whittaker, Yolanda Vazquez-Alvarez
Abstract:
It's an old story. A relationship built on promises turns to bitterness and recriminations. But speech technology has changed: Yes, we know we hurt you, we know things didn't turn out the way we hoped, but can't we put the past behind us? We need you, we need design. And you? You need us. How can you fulfill a dream of pervasive technology without us? So let's look at what went wrong. Let's see how we can fix this thing. For the sake of little Siri, she needs a family. She needs to grow into more than a piece of PR, and maybe, if we could only work out our differences, just maybe, think of the magic we might make together.
HCI Over Multiple Screens [link]
Author(s):
Andy Brown, Michael Evans, Caroline Jay, Maxine Glancy, Rhianne Jones, Simon Harper
Abstract:
Mobile devices are playing an increasingly important role in leisure activities, including TV viewing. Broadcasters see this as an opportunity to enhance a TV programme through the provision of additional information to the 'second screen', but determining how to optimise this experience is one of the grand challenges currently facing content providers. Addressing this issue requires a detailed understanding of interaction with both the TV and the secondary device, but this new form of HCI, as much about passive consumption as active interaction, is not well represented by typical task-based paradigms. This paper describes experiments that use eye tracking to understand one of the key components of this new area of study - determining which device is currently receiving the user's attention - and discusses the considerable challenge of accurately monitoring attention while maintaining ecological validity.
Gamified Co-design with Cooperative Learning [link]
Author(s):
Gabriella Dodero, Rosella Gennari, Alessandra Melonio, Santina Torello
Abstract:
Co-design is an ideal approach to design with mixed teams that include children. However, in modern learning contexts, learning and engagement are both key goals, and that poses several challenges to co-design in learning contexts.
This paper investigates such challenges after outlining co-design and situating it in current user experience design trends. Then the paper uses the challenges to derive requirements for co-design, and shows how to meet requirements and foster engagement as well as learning by blending co-design with gamification and cooperative learning.
It ends by showcasing a study that uses the blended co-design approach, and by outlining how this led to novel challenges and work.
Quantification in Alt.Chi Open Review: Liking and Ticking on a Likert Scale [link]
Author(s):
Razvan Rughinis, Cosima Rughinis, Alina Petra Marinescu Nenciu
Abstract:
We analyze quantification in the open review process of Alt.Chi panels. We find that reviewers differ systematically regarding their activity patterns. We distinguish 'critical', 'supportive', 'discerning' and 'keen' reviewers, with distinctive contributions for two resources of meaningful numeric evaluation: intersubjectivity and intra-personal commensurability. The acceptance decision is associated with the average paper grade and, to a lesser extent, with the number of paper reviews. We identify four categories of articles that reflect the article distribution of reviewer types.
Teaching Digital Craft [link]
Author(s):
Michael Nitsche, Andrew Quitmeyer, Kate Farina, Samuel Zwaan, Hye Yeon Nam
Abstract:
At the overlap of maker culture, ubiquitous computing, critical making, and novel interfaces, digital craft emerges as a new research and teaching domain. It offers new opportunities in interaction design but it also poses particular challenges to academic curricula. This paper first discusses the value and challenges connected to digital craft. Then, based on our experience with exploring digital craft in a research university's teaching environment, we highlight viable approaches and teaching practices in this new field. It closes with a discussion of the prototype results achieved in those classes.
Concordance: Design Ideal for Facilitating Situated Negotiations in Out-of-clinic Healthcare [link]
Author(s):
Naveen Bagalkot, Erik Grönvall, Tomas Sokoler
Abstract:
Healthcare HCI research has explored various designs that encourage people to follow prescribed treatments, most adopting compliance and adherence as design ideals. However, within the medical sciences the notion of concordance also exists. Concordance promotes negotiation where the patient and healthcare professional forge a therapeutic alliance. However, the HCI community has still not adopted concordance as a design ideal. This paper revisits four old design-cases to explore the role of concordance in out-of-clinic healthcare. We argue that concordance, as a design ideal, can guide new designs that promote a more active patient-role both at the clinic and beyond.
Fifty Shades of CHI: The Perverse and Humiliating Human-Computer Relationship [link]
Author(s):
Laura Buttrick, Conor Linehan, Ben Kirman, Dan O'Hara
Abstract:
Inspired by critical approaches to interaction design in HCI research, this paper presents a critical lens on the nature of the relationship between people and contemporary technology. Specifically, this paper uses the form and language of erotic BDSM romance fiction, a genre that deals specifically with the nature of power in relationships, and which has proved extremely popular recently, as a means for provoking reflection on the nature of power in the human-computer relationship. Three sexually explicit scenarios are presented, in which technology is portrayed in a dominant and controlling role, highlighting the often subservient and apologetic nature of human interaction with technology. We suggest that readers offended by graphic and explicit descriptions of sexual behaviour do not read further than this abstract.
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Website: Telling About Browsing [link]
Author(s):
John Fass
Abstract:
This paper describes an approach to the narrative organisation and experience of browser history. It can be difficult to remember where you have been online and consequently hard to get a sense of how much time you have spent, what you did, and why. Web browsers are limited to bookmarks and browser history for retrospective examination. This study is focused specifically on a narrative construction of browser history and the resolution of the resulting experience. The paper establishes a methodological and theoretical connection between expressions of browsing activity and the tradition of narrative enquiry and suggests a range of experimental outputs.
A three-dimensional mirror augmented by medical imaging: Questioning self-portraying at the limit of intimacy [link]
Author(s):
Tom Giraud, Matthieu Courgeon, Marion Tardieu, Alexandra Roatis, Xavier Maitre
Abstract:
With the rapid developments of medical imaging, our personal inner body can be unveiled as never before. Medical images are usually considered as ordinary objects and their potential intimate value is never really considered. In this paper, we present an exploratory installation which anticipates prospective issues when medical and self-images interfere with each other. Primary Intimacy of being acts as a digital mirror reflecting the users' bodies with three-dimensional avatars, which are computed in real time from three medical imaging modalities (Fig. 1). A first evaluation reveals individual differences between users with respect to their personal privacy concerns while interacting with the installation. Thereafter, these issues may be probed in the scope of self-portraying.
Translation from text to touch - Touching a "Japanese old tale" [link]
Author(s):
yasuhiro suzuki, RIeko Suzuki, Junji Watanabe
Abstract:
The character display and interface through visual and auditory senses have been the focus of the Computer Human Interaction and also tactile sense interface has been studied. We propose a method for integrating character information and tactile sense, by focusing the structure of texts and phonetic aspect of language. By using this method, we extract the tactile elements of "The Tale of the Heike, which has been handed down in Japan over a thousand years. Also, we extract the tactile elements of the English version of the tale and a passage from Hamlet and compare their tactile characteristics.
The Minimal Effective Dose of Reminder Technology [link]
Author(s):
Maria Wolters
Abstract:
Remembering to take one's medication on time is hard work. This is true for younger people with no chronic illness as well as older people with many co-morbid conditions that require a complex medication regime. Many technological solutions have been proposed to help with this problem, but is more IT really the solution? In this paper, I argue that technological help should be limited to the minimal effective dose, which depends on the person and their living situation, and may well be zero.
Designing for the Internet of Things: Prototyping Material Interactions [link]
Author(s):
Tom Jenkins, Ian Bogost
Abstract:
The Internet of Things (IoT) offers a fertile ground to consider the nature of electronic prototyping, especially in building systems from the lowest level. While constructing artifacts to interact directly with everyday contexts, we've found it important to approach the IoT from the very lowest levels of hardware to avoid both abstracting away from real knowledge of the platform itself as well as to reduce implementation cost for massive deployment.
Building new, inexpensive platforms that augment everyday objects in minimal ways is out proposal for an alternative to top-down control of Internet of Things devices. We intend to move towards interactions among and between things as a bottom-up design study into ubiquitous small-scale computing and its aesthetic applications.
I Wanna Be AnarCHI: A Manifesto for Punk HCI [link]
Author(s):
Conor Linehan, Ben Kirman
Abstract:
This paper presents two fingers to the CHI establishment. We reject the status quo that defines what language and what forms are appropriate for this staid "community" of quasi-scientific poseurs. Although efforts such as alt.CHI attempt to ameliorate this, we argue the structure of CHI as a venue and community alienates and rejects alternative approaches that don't meet the political and ideological status quo, instead favouring sell-out researchers wielding arcane verbiage and p-values paid for by corporate and government interests. We present our manifesto for Punk HCI, which celebrates principles of anarchy and freedom in the design and understanding of human-computer interfaces. We encourage research motivated by passion and possibilities over patents, and call for the destruction of the faux-ivoire walls of academic sensibility and tradition in favour of open, free, accessible and participatory discourse on the future of the digital human for all.
Running an HCI Experiment in Multiple Parallel Universes [link]
Author(s):
Pierre Dragicevic, Fanny Chevalier, Stephane Huot
Abstract:
We experimentally evaluated a haptic touch slider in 8 parallel universes. The results were overall similar but exhibited surprisingly high variability in terms of statistical significance patterns. We discuss the general implications of these findings for empirical HCI research.
Brave New Interactions: Performance-Enhancing Drugs for Human-Computer Interaction [link]
Author(s):
Henning Pohl
Abstract:
In the area of sports, athletes often resort to performance enhancing drugs to gain an advantage. Similarly, people use pharmaceutical drugs to aid learning, dexterity, or concentration. We investigate how pharmaceutical drugs could be used to enhance interactions. We envision that in the future, people might take pills along with their vitamins in the morning to improve how they can interact over the day. In addition to performance improvements this, e.g., could also include improvements in enjoyment or fatigue.
A Path to Understanding the Effects of Algorithm Awareness [link]
Author(s):
Kevin Hamilton, Karrie Karahalios, Christian Sandvig, Motahhare Eslami
Abstract:
The rise in prevalence of algorithmically curated feeds in online news and social media sites raises a new question for designers, critics, and scholars of media: how aware are users of the role of algorithms and filters in their news sources? This paper outlines an approach to studying how users perceive the algorithmic "curation" of their feeds, using Facebook as a sample case. Such a problem presents particular challenges when, as is common, neither the user nor the researcher has access to the actual proprietary algorithms at work.
QnDReview: Read 100 CHI Papers in 7 Hours [link]
Author(s):
Ji Soo Yi
Abstract:
In 2013, over 300 CHI papers were published and even more papers in the domain of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) are published in various conferences and journals. It is quite arduous, if not impossible, to read all of these papers. One approach to deal with this information deluge is focusing on skimming through lots of papers in a short period of time, so that one can more wisely choose what to read before investing time, which I call "Quick and Dirty Review (QnDReview)." The method has been applied into a graduate- level course for five semesters, and students' responses were collected and analyzed. Results showed that students reviewed about on average 4.3 minutes per paper and believe that they got a gist out of the paper. However, the bigger benefits we noticed are that students get the overall pictures of the fields and generate interesting ideas while exposing themselves to various new ideas through this approach.
2nd May 2014 -
