Overview: Proposal Submission is now closed

Submit a proposal online here

Deadline for submissions: January 22, 2018

The ACM Special Interest Group on the Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC) invites you to submit a proposal for a research paper, experience report, interactive poster, panel session, or workshop that examines cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to User Experience and Information/Communication Design.

Location : Milwaukee, Wisconsin

: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Dates : August 3-5, 2018

: August 3-5, 2018 Theme: Cross-Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Approaches to User Experience and Communication Design

Our ability to make connections between and among disciplines offers us new ways of thinking about issues and framing challenges facing the user experience (UX) and technical communication (TC) communities. Communication design–informed by perspectives from UX, TC, psychology, HCI, graphic design, informatics, business, programming, and other fields–affects how individuals interact with interfaces, technologies, platforms, curricular decisions, course development, research approaches, and relationships with industry partners.

With these interactions in mind, the 2018 ACM SIGDOC conference seeks to explore existing and emerging relationships among user experience, information design and architecture, technical communication, and other fields. We invite insights from researchers and educators in industry and academia that highlight the benefits of cross-discipline collaboration and broadened scope of communication design. We are curious how different fields inform and complement each other.

Topics

This year’s suggested topics are organized into three categories: Research Insights and Implications, Teaching and Curricular Applications, and Industry Insights and Practices. The conference organizers realize that these categories will sometimes overlap, and so we see them as fluid. As such, we invite industry and academic researchers and educators to submit proposals that address topics including, but not limited to:

Research Insights and Implications

What current research findings can inform our assumptions and practices about information and communication design?

What methodologies from other disciplines might inform information and communication design research? How?

How can UX theory be applied, measured, and evaluated in the workplace?

How can collaborative platforms (e.g. Microsoft Sharepoint and Cisco WebEx Connect) make use of principles of information and communication design?

Where do Instructional Design, TC, and UX intersect?

What is or could be the relationship between information design and Project Management?

What does current research tell us about cross-cultural considerations in information and communication design?

In what ways can UX theory inform Learning Systems/Environments?

In what ways can UX theory inform Open Source Design Solutions?

In what ways can intercultural communication design apply principles of UX?

Teaching and Curriculum Applications

How can we effectively teach and assess UX and information design skills in an online course?

What are the differences and/or similarities in teaching information and communication design skills in online or hybrid courses and face-to-face?

What are the technology skills for students taking information and communication design classes, and what is the best way to teach these skills?

How can service learning, community engagement, and other experiential practices be used in UX and TC classes?

What types of internships would be most helpful to TC students looking to apply and/or learn new skills?

What faculty development issues are associated with changing technologies and role?

What lessons have we learned from technology-mediated communication and how can we leverage these lessons in the classroom?

What considerations are necessary in approaches to faculty training, development, and staffing?

How can we leverage design thinking in information and communication design courses?

How are UX and TC programs and courses connected, and how can they inform each other?

How and why should UX theory and practice be incorporated in TC curriculum and classes?

How and why should TC theory and practice and be incorporated in UX curriculum and classes?

How can we use design thinking to augment our curricula?

Industry Insights and Practices

How can academics and practitioners foster better relationships with each other?

How can industry partner with academia to prepare students to meet current industry demands?

What can academics in information and communication design offer to industry?

How can academics better communicate their research results to individuals and institutions outside of academia?

How do we prepare students for designing for mobile, web, cloud and voice user interfaces?

What are the best and emerging practices in building/design mobile, web, cloud, and voice-enabled experiences?

What new research frontiers have emerged out of cross-disciplinary approaches/collaboration?

How can UX and TC (theory, practitioners) leverage best practices in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and bots?

What are the new/best practices to the production of technical documentation in an agile environment?

Submission Process

You may submit a proposal for a research paper, experience report, interactive poster, panel session, or workshop. Submit your proposal online here.

Proposals for individual and collaborative research papers and experience reports should not exceed 500 words and should include the following:

The name, affiliation, and email of the primary submitter; if a collaborative proposal, include the names and email addresses of collaborators (not included in word count).

The focus/topic of the proposed paper, report, or poster

The connection of the topic to the conference theme

The approach/method used to examine this topic

The connection of the topic to prior work/research in the field

The takeaway attendees can gain from this proposed paper, report, or poster and use in their own work

Proposals for panel sessions should not exceed 500 words and should include the following:

The name, affiliation, and email of the primary submitter

The names and email addresses of all panel members (not included in word count).

The focus/topic/theme of the proposed panel session

The connection of that topic to the conference theme

The connection of the topic to prior work in the field

The title and a summary of the presentation proposed by each panel session member

Proposals for workshops should not exceed 500 words and should include the following:

The name, affiliation, and email of the primary submitter

The names and email addresses of all workshop members (not included in word count).

The focus/topic/theme of the proposed workshop

The connection of that topic to the conference theme

The connection of the topic to prior work in the field

An explanation and schedule of workshop activities

If your proposal for a…

research paper is accepted, you will be asked to submit a full-length paper, not to exceed 10 pages.

experience report is accepted, you will be asked to submit a full-length paper, not to exceed 6 pages.

poster or panel session is accepted, you will be asked to submit an extended abstract, not to exceed 2 pages.

Full-length papers and extended abstracts will then be reviewed and sent back to authors for final edits and ACM formatting. Authors will then resubmit papers and abstracts as “camera-ready” submissions. Papers and extended abstracts will be published in the Conference Proceedings and in the ACM Digital Library.

Proposals should be submitted to the online submission system here.

Submission Types

Research papers

Research papers present integrative reviews or original reports of substantive new work: theoretical, empirical, and/or in the design, development and/or deployment of novel systems. Papers will be reviewed for academic standards, relevance, conceptual quality, innovation, and clarity of presentation. Proposals are not to exceed 500 words. The results described must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Final papers not to exceed ten pages in length in ACM SIGDOC conference format, including figures and references.

Note: At least one author from a paper must register and attend the conference in order for the paper to be included in the proceedings. Multiple papers and/or reports will be grouped thematically by the Program Chair into 75 minute panels at the conference.

Experience reports

Experience reports present experience and reflections on a particular case, methodology or design idea from real life projects and deployments. Reports are reviewed for usefulness, clarity, and reflection. Strong experience reports discuss both benefits and drawbacks of the approaches used and clearly call out lessons learned. Reports may focus on a particular aspect of technology usage and practice, or describe broad project experiences. Proposals are not to exceed 500 words. Final papers not to exceed six pages in length in ACM SIGDOC conference format, including figures and references.

Note: At least one author from an experience report must register and attend the conference in order for the report to be included in the proceedings. Multiple papers and/or reports will be grouped thematically by the Program Chair into 75 minute panels at the conference.

Posters

Posters are a less formal presentation of work in progress, theories, experimental work, new concepts, late-breaking research results, or work that is best communicated visually and in conversation. Poster proposals may describe original research or novel designs. Successful applicants should bring their completed posters, up to 1x2m in size, to the conference where they will be displayed at a special session during the conference. Proposals are not to exceed 250 words. Final extended abstracts not to exceed 2 pages in ACM SIGDOC conference format.

Panel Sessions

Panels should be comprised of multiple presenters organized around a specific topic relevant to the SIGDOC audience. Proposals are not to exceed 500 words. Final extended abstracts not to exceed 2 pages in ACM SIGDOC conference format. Note: All members of the panel must register for and attend the conference for the extended abstract to be included in the Proceedings.

Workshops

Workshops provide opportunities for engaged introductions to new developments in the field and participatory discussion of current ideas and practices. Successful workshop proposals explain clearly how registrants will participate in workshop activities and must include a schedule indicating times, registrant activities, and speakers. Proposed workshops with no evidence of active participation by registrants will not be accepted. Proposals are not to exceed 500 words.

Important Dates

The timeline for the conference is as follows:

January 22, 2018 11:59 PM PST: Proposals due. Please submit to the online proposal system here.

February 12, 2018: Notification of acceptance/request to submit full-length paper or extended abstract

March 30, 2018 11:59 PM PST: Drafts of initial papers and extended abstracts due

May 4, 2018: Reviews of/comments on papers and extended abstracts returned

June 8, 2018 11:59 PM PST: Papers and extended abstracts (final version) due

August 3, 4, and 5: SIGDOC 2018 Conference

Questions

Questions on the CFP or the process described here should be emailed to the Program Co-Chairs, Elizabeth Angeli and T. Kenny Fountain at sigdocconference@gmail.com.