Fourth Biennial Conference on Participatory Design

November 13-15, 1996

Cambridge, Massachusetts

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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

• Overview
• Important Dates
• Papers
• Panels
• Workshops
• Artifacts
• Doctoral Consortium
• Conference Committee
• Program Committee

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Sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.

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For more information, send e-mail to the PDC'96 general e-mail address: pdc96@ncat.edu.

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OVERVIEW

Since the first Participatory Design Conference in 1990 (PDC'90), much has been learned about involving workers in the analysis, design and organizational implementation of new technologies and work practices. Participatory design projects have combined the skills and knowledge of workers with the technological and organizational expertise of design practitioners in efforts to develop technologies and practices that improve people's work lives. Earlier Participatory Design conferences have explored the historical roots of worker involvement in system design and have looked at the application and transformation of participatory design approaches as they have moved from academic to industrial settings. PDC'96, along with providing an international forum where researchers and practitioners can exchange ideas and experiences, will consider the relation between participatory design and the changing political, organizational, and economic landscape.

We encourage participation of those interested in learning about participatory design, as well as those currently involved in participatory design projects (possibly under different titles). We welcome paper submissions, proposals for panels and workshops, and submissions to our "artifacts" room. PDC'96 also will sponsor a doctoral consortium. Wherever possible, we encourage participants to draw on their own experience from concrete situations.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Experiences and lessons learned from projects incorporating participatory design approaches;
• Tools, techniques, and principles of organization for participatory design projects;
• Continuing participation of users in all activities from generation of visions to system maintenance;
• The ethics of participation (e.g. obligations to management versus workers; designers' responsibility for what happens "down stream");
• The politics of participatory design (e.g. identifying whose interests are being served over the course of a project);
• The relation of participatory design projects to 'information infrastructure' (e.g. digital libraries; community free-nets);
• The relation of participatory design to organizational/managerial change agendas;
• The relation of participatory design to the growing permeability of organizational boundaries (e.g. who participates and how in cross-organizational development efforts);
• The relation of participatory design to the labor movement (e.g. labor unions' own technology development and analysis efforts);
• The relation of participatory design to increasing globalization of production;
• Frameworks for understanding and analyzing participatory design, and models for its incorporation in system development practice;
• The theoretical roots of participatory approaches to design (e.g. connections to action research).

IMPORTANT DATES

Note: All dates are in 1996.

• Friday, May 3
  Paper, Panel, Workshop, and Doctoral Consortium submissions are due

• Friday, June 21
  Acceptance notifications to authors

• Friday, August 2
  Artifact proposals due

• Friday, August 16
  Final versions of Papers, Panels, Workshops, and Doctoral Consortium statements due

• Friday, August 30
  Acceptance notifications to Artifacts presenters

• Wednesday, November 13 - Friday, November 15
  Conference takes place.

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PAPERS

We solicit papers from researchers and practitioners on topics related to experience (e.g. from analysis, design, use, integration, maintenance). Papers will be grouped into thematic sessions that will include designated discussants and encourage audience participation.

Submission requirements

Papers should be no longer than 6000 words and should include authors' affiliations and contact information as well as an abstract of no more than 200 words.

Please submit 5 copies to:

Jeanette Blomberg
Xerox Palo Alto Research Center
3333 Coyote Hill Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304
USA

Requests for information should be made to Jeanette Blomberg (Blomberg@Parc.xerox.com) or Finn Kensing (kensing@dat.ruc.dk).

PANELS

We solicit proposals for panels on provocative, innovative, controversial or late-breaking topics that promote sharing experiences, clarifying positions and lively discussions among panelist and the audience. Panels should have no more than four speakers. While successful panels often are structured as a debate, we also invite proposals organized to engage the audience in alternative ways or that report on works in progress.

Submission requirements

An overview of the proposed panel which describes the goals, themes and central issues (maximum 3 pages). Also include a brief description of the panel organizer's relevant experience and background, a list of panelists who have agreed to participate, and a brief sketch of each.

Please submit 5 copies to:

Susan Anderson
1350 Jefferson Rd. 801-27C
Rochester, NY 14623
USA.

Requests for information should be sent to Susan Anderson (Sand.henr801C@Xerox.com or anderson@eso.mc.xerox.com) or Bill Anderson (Band@wc.mc.Xerox.com).

WORKSHOPS

We invite participants to propose workshops that will take place in parallel and last approximately 3 hours. Topics can include any of the above themes, however, we prefer the workshops to be as concrete as possible and the format to be participative.

Submission requirements

An overview of the proposed workshop describing the content and format of the workshop including means of involving participants (maximum 3 pages) Also include a brief description of the workshop organizer's relevant experience and background and a short abstract for publication in the proceedings.

Please submit 5 copies to:

Kim Halskov Madsen
Information Science
Aarhus University
Niels Juelsgade 84
DK 8200 Aarhus N
Denmark

Requests for information should be sent to Kim Halskov Madsen (Halskov@imv.aau.dk).

ARTIFACTS

(including posters and demonstrations)

The Artifacts program brings together representations, techniques, methodologies and technologies developed for or through participatory design. (A representation may take the form of documents and other objects that reflect work practices, designs, and associated materials, and should include both the artifact itself and how it is used in the work situation.) A contribution to the Artifacts program should be intended to be shown or demonstrated informally at a booth.

Submission requirements

A description of the artifact and how it is used in practice (maximum 3 pages). If appropriate include non-textual materials like photographs, videotapes, sketches, etc. (only one copy of a videotape is required, and photocopies of photographs are adequate). Also include a brief description of artifact presenter's relevant experience and background, a description of any plans to engage conference participants directly in using the artifact, and any special equipment or power requirements.

Please submit 5 copies to:

Michael Muller
Applied Research
U S West Advanced Technologies
4001 Discovery Drive, Suite 270
Boulder, Colorado 80303
USA

Requests for information should be sent to Michael Muller (Michael@advtech.USWest.com).

DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM

We invite Ph.D. students with a strong focus on PD research to present their ongoing work and have the comments of other Ph.D. students as well as senior researchers.

Submission requirements

A statement of what you would like to get out of the consortium and a description of your research; including your problem statement, methods, activities and date of expected completion (maximum 3 pages). Also include a short curriculum vitae.

Please submit 5 copies to:

Joan Greenbaum
Visiting Professor
Informatics Department
University of Oslo
Post Boks 1080 Blindern
N 0316 Oslo
Norway

Requests for information should be sent to Joan Greenbaum (joan@ifi.uio.no).

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Conference Co-chairs

• David Bellin, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, USA
• Andrew Clement, University of Toronto, Canada

Program Co-chairs

• Jeanette Blomberg, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
• Finn Kensing, Roskilde University, Denmark

Panels Co-chairs

• Susan Anderson, Xerox Corporation, USA
• Bill Anderson, Xerox Corporation, USA

Workshops Chair

• Kim Halskov Madsen, Aarhus University, Denmark

Artifacts Co-chairs

• Michael Muller, US West, USA
• Marian G. Williams, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA

Doctoral Consortium Chair

• Joan Greenbaum, University of Oslo, Norway

Proceedings Chair

• Elizabeth Dykstra-Erikson, Apple Computer, USA

Publicity Chair

• Barbara Katzenberg, Digital Equipment Corporation, USA

Treasurer

• Debra Cash, New Century Enterprises, USA

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Co-chairs

• Jeanette Blomberg, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
• Finn Kensing, Roskilde University, Denmark

Members

• Bill Anderson, Xerox Corporation, USA
• Susan Anderson, Xerox Corporation, USA
• David Bellin, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, USA
• Libby Bishop, Institute for Research on Learning, USA
• Jeanette Blomberg, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
• Keld Bodker, Roskilde University, Denmark
• Susanne Bodker, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Tone Bratteteig, University of Oslo, Norway
• Jack Carroll, Virginia Tech, USA
• Andrew Clement, University of Toronto, Canada
• Elizabeth Dykstra-Erikson, Apple Computer, USA
• Joan Greenbaum, University of Oslo, Norway
• Kim Halskov Madsen, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Karen Holtzblat, InContext Enterprises, USA
• Barbara Katzenberg, Digital Equipment Corporation, USA
• Reinhard Keil-Slavik, University of Paderborn, Germany
• Finn Kensing, Roskilde University, Denmark
• Sarah Kuhn, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA
• Michael Muller, US West, USA
• Vicki O'Day, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
• Pat Sachs, NYNEX, USA
• Dan Shapiro, Lancaster University, Great Britain
• Leigh Snelling, Union Research Centre on Organization and Technology, Australia
• Lucy Suchman, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
• Kari Thoresen, Norwegian Computing Center, Norway
• David Tippen, Centre for Information Technology Innovation, Canada
• Randy Trigg, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, USA
• Ina Wagner, Technical University of Vienna, Austria
• Jack Whalen, Institute for Research on Learning, USA
• Marian G. Williams, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA
• Terry Winograd, Stanford University, USA

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• Go to PDC '96 Call for Participation Index [i.e. top of this document].
• Go to PDC '96 Home Page

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Andrew Clement [clement@fis.utoronto.ca]

Last updated: 24 January, 1996