JMEADS%BNR.CA@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (Jon Meads, J.A.) (11/21/89)
Call for Position Papers Workshop on Context: What Does it Mean to Application Design? This second workshop on context is scheduled as part of the CHI'90 Conference in Seattle, Washington and will be held on April 1st - 2nd, 1990. The objective of the two-day workshop is to explore the user interface issues associated with building applications which take advantage of context. This workshop continues on from the Context workshop at CHI '89. The primary goal for this workshop will be to examine the impact of maintaining context on user interface design. Context is a subjective concept. In the first workshop, context was found to be an extremely complex subject, capable of being subjected to study from many different viewpoints. Three areas were studied in detail - the dynamics of context (how it develops and changes, the role of 'conversation' between human and computer), the roles of conceptual models and information theory in understanding context, and the implementation issues (hardware and software) related to facilitating the building of common context between the computer and the user. In the second workshop, the ideas and definitions from the first workshop will be reviewed. The workshop will then focus on how the user interface of applications can be structured to develop and use context that meets user expectations. Attendance at the workshop will be by invitation. It is intended that the workshop will bring together approximately twenty people who have relevant user interface design or research experience in areas such as related to complex, multi-tasking and/or multi-windowing systems; expert systems; user's mental models; or adaptive systems. Individuals who would be able to comment on the architectural implications of the workshops' discussions will also be welcomed. Individuals wishing to participate are requested to submit four copies of a position paper presenting their views on the workshop topic. This position paper should be one to two pages long and should contain a brief summary of experience in the areas listed above and a brief description of the individual's interest in the subject of context. The workshop committee (Helen Maskery, Gord Hopkins and Tim Dudley (Cognos)) will issue invitations based on the position papers and timeliness of the paper's submission. All invitees will be expected to actively participate as speakers, discussants, and brainstormers. They will also be expected to contribute to a workshop report for the SIGCHI Bulletin. A $50 workshop fee will be collected from each participant to help defray costs associated with coffee breaks and A/V equipment. Important dates: Four copies of the position paper due by: February 6, 1990 Invitations (with agenda) sent out by: February 19, 1990 Workshop to be held: April 1-2, 1990 Send position papers to: Helen Maskery (for more information, call (613) 763 2386) BNR Ltd, 9Y12 P.O. Box 3511, Station C, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 4H7 CANADA maskery@bnr.ca