alt.chi

Co-Chairs

Lars Erik Holmquist, Viktoria Institute
Barry Brown, University of Glasgow

Message from Lars Erik and Barry, alt.chi Co-Chairs

The CHI conference is the leading venue to present innovations in human computer interaction. The year's best work from researchers and practitioners is selected in a strictly competitive process. But this competition also inevitably means that many valuable contributions are never presented at CHI - and some might not even be submitted.

With alt.chi 2007, we want to open up for unusual, challenging and thought-provoking work that might not otherwise be seen at the conference. alt.chi is a place to experiment with how CHI submissions are presented, submitted, reviewed and selected. alt.chi is CHI's breathing hole, the space for change, where new ideas can be tried out and experienced.

Take the plunge. Join us for alt.chi 2007!

Introduction

alt.chi invites controversial ideas, novel prototypes, failed but valuable user studies, bold experiments, and anything else that can give a fresh perspective on CHI. We invite submissions that explore technical or practical limitations in technologies or methodologies; that introduce promising, although currently non-viable techniques; that critique the current state of the field; and that explore topics outside of current discussion. In particular, we invite work that would otherwise not have been presented at CHI 2007 - whether because it has been rejected from other venues, or because it is too different to be submitted in the first place. Selected papers will be made presented in specially branded alt.chi sessions at the CHI conference. In keeping with alt-chi's alternative status, they will not be included in the conference Extended Abstracts but will be published on the alt.chi web site.

Submission Format

The main part of an alt.chi 2007 submission is an extended abstract in the CHI 2007 Extended Abstracts format. There is no maximum length for alt.chi submissions, but we strongly encourage authors to keep their contributions no longer than 13 pages. Additionally, you are required to submit a 30-word statement on why your contribution represents an alternative view of CHI (similar to the Contribution Statement for papers and notes). You may also link to other supporting material, including video. In keeping with the open format of alt.chi, we also invite innovative contributions which if necessary modify the submission format. Submissions will be handled directly into the alt.chi forum at http://www.viktoria.se/altchi/.

How to Submit

All submissions and reviews must be entered in the alt.chi forum: http://www.viktoria.se/altchi/

Please do not use the standard CHI submission system for alt.chi!

Review Process

Alongside the invitation to submit papers, we also invite reviewers to take part in the alt.chi process. The alt.chi 2007 program will be selected through a non-anonymous process, where all submissions and reviews are completely open. There will be an open forum were anyone can register to submit and review, and all submitters will be required to take part in the selection process. All reviews and submissions will be available to anyone who registers. We want to encourage discussion and debate on what makes a good alt.chi (or regular CHI) submission, what makes a good review, and, ultimately, what makes for a fruitful conference experience. Submissions will be handled directly on the alt.chi forum, which will be launched on 1 December 2006 (check this page again starting 1 December for details).

All submitters will be required to provide reviews for at least three other alt.chi submissions. This is to ensure that everbody participates in the selection process. In addition to this, the system will be open for volunteer reviewers. Based on reviews, a shortlist will be selected by the chairs and posted on the forum for discussion. The final program will consist of submissions that review highly, but also those that cause controversy or explore new goals for CHI.

Conference Sessions

As with previous alt.chi events papers that are selected will be presented at the conference in specially branded alt.chi sessions. alt.chi has traditionally been one of the most popular sessions of the whole conference, so a large audience can be assured for selected work.

Publication Status

alt.chi is not an archival publication that constrains future submissions, and is not considered to be a prior publication of the work for the purposes of a future conference or journal publication. However, authors should be aware that all submissions will be available on an open forum (including those that do not get presented at the conference) and therefore secret or sensitive material should not be submitted.

Important Dates

1 Dec 2006 - Forum opened
1 Feb 2007 - Forum closed for submissions - No more submissions accepted
2 Feb 2007 - Review and discussion of submissions start
12 Mar 2007 - Chairs present shortlist of selected submissions
19 Mar 2007 - Invitation of successful submissions to be presented at the conference

History

The process for alt.chi 2007 is based on the UbiComp 2006 Open Session, which was presented at the Conference on Ubiquitous Computing in Orange County. See the UbiComp Open Session page for more information; this page also includes information on the open peer review process that is relevant for alt.chi.

Subsections