Workshop at “Mensch und Computer” Conference 2023

The “Mensch und Computer” (MuC) conference is the largest conference series on human-computer interaction in Europe. MuC offers participants from science and industry a platform for contributions and discussions on innovative forms of interaction between people and digital technology, on human-centered development methods, interactive applications, and other topics in the field between users, teams and communities on the one hand and information and communication technologies used on the other hand. The aim of the conference is to discuss innovative research results, to promote the exchange of information between academia and practitioners, to stimulate research activities and training, and to sensitize science, practice, and the public to the relevance of human- and task-oriented technology design. 

Mensch und Computer 2023 will take place under the motto “Building Bridges” in Rapperswil (SG), Lake Zurich (Switzerland).

Content of this page:

1. Topic Areas
2. Objectives
3. Workshop Organization and Participation
4. Call for Papers
5. Organization Team

Workshop on Designing Accessible Extended Reality: An Opportunity for Neurodivergent People

Digital Assistive Technologies (AT) and Extended Reality (XR) technologies offer a wide range of innovative use cases and interaction concepts. On the one hand, they provide several possibilities for reducing barriers for people with specific physical or mental needs, e.g., through simulations, gamification, or training scenarios. Individuals with anxiety disorders, learning disorders, or autism, for example, may also benefit. On the other hand, it is challenging to design AT and XR technologies accessible for heterogeneous user groups. Therefore, the area of accessible XR as well as adaptation of XR and AT based on users’ needs and contexts, is of high interest and has barely been researched yet. Participants in the widest sense are encouraged to discuss both – the major challenges and opportunities in designing XR-based assistive technology for different target groups and scenarios, as well as the accessibility of XR technologies.

Topic Areas

In this workshop, the latest developments in the sensitive design and creation of XR applications for and with diverse user groups (e.g., people with physical or mental impairments, and neurodivergent people) will be presented and discussed. In particular, applications for communication and collaboration support and its evaluation will be considered, which can be applied in the field of employment, leisure, and education.

The workshop focuses on people with various forms of impairments or challenges due to physical, mental, or cognitive disorders, with the following questions being relevant:

• Which use cases are suitable for the practical implementation of XR?
• How can digital technologies address the heterogeneity of different target groups?
• How can various challenges, such as social acceptance and stigma, of assistive technologies and XR be adequately addressed for different target groups?
• What interaction techniques can be effectively applied to applications in this domain? How can XR applications be designed to be accessible to different target groups?
• and related topics

Objectives

This workshop will discuss applications and design spaces, as well as challenges and opportunities of assistive technologies and extended reality applications that satisfy the needs and desires of the target groups. The aim is to share experiences in the HCI community to understand the needs and requirements of people with various disabilities in order to develop technologies that enable effective support in leisure, education, and employment.

Workshop Organization and Participation

The workshop will take place as part of the Mensch und Computer on Monday, 04 September 2023 as a half-day event. Participation is possible either on-site. All conference attendees can register for the workshop.

The organization team will prepare a schedule with sufficient breaks based on the submitted contributions, which will be available for consideration in advance of the workshop. Additional accessibility measures and support will be provided upon request and in coordination with the conference organizing team. Please feel free to contact us via mail autark@tu-dresden.de if you have any needs.

Call for Papers

We invite submissions from researchers and designers working in the field of accessibility, or UX design for people with various forms of impairments or disorders. In addition, we encourage the target audience (e.g., neurodivergent people, people with cognitive or physical impairments) to submit an informal experience report of up to 2 pages to share their personal experiences in using XR technologies to provide different perspectives on the topic area.

Important Dates

The submissions will be reviewed by experts. Selected submissions will be presented and discussed during the workshop. Subsequently, the papers and the associated findings will be summarized and published. The publication will be made in the form of workshop papers with the aim of highlighting current research activities in the field of assistive technologies and XR systems regarding their accessibility and application to reduce barriers for people with impairments.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should use the ACM SIGCHI 2-column format and not exceed a length of 4 pages (excluding references and organizers)! Please ensure that your submission is fully anonymized before submitting your PDF document using ConfTool. There will be a DOI for each accepted position paper. Both German and English submissions are welcome.

Organization Team

The organization involves scientists from various research institutions with several years of research experience and expertise in the field of human-computer interaction, especially in the development of assistive technologies and the implementation of accessible technologies for and with people with various impairments.