Otherware needs Otherness: Understanding and Designing Artificial Counterparts
Workshop at NordiCHI 2020 | October 25 - 29, 2020 | Tallinn, Estonia
Most approaches in Human-Computer Interaction follow the ideal of embodied interaction. However, more and more technologies evolve, such as chatbots, smart voice interfaces, and domestic or social robots, that imply a fundamentally different relationship between human and technology. This “otherware” presents itself either incidentally or by design as computational counterpart rather than as embodied extension of the Self. The predominant strategy to design form and interaction with otherware is to mimic humans or animals (i.e., naïve anthropomorphism or zoomorphism). While this strategy has some advantages, we call for exploring an alternative, namely to cultivate the otherness of computational counterparts rather than to mimic existing lifeforms.
The workshop will bring together computer scientists, psychologists, designers and artists to speculate on alternative models of interacting with otherware and appropriate forms of otherness. It lays the foundation for a more nuanced perspective on how to design the interaction with computational counterparts besides embodied interaction.
About the workshop
The aim of the present workshop is to initiate a research and design network in which the HCI community can actively participate, contribute to and deepen research on otherware, especially from an interaction perspective. What are alternatives to naïve anthropomorphism and zoomorphism? How should computational counterparts look, behave, and communicate? What are beneficial application areas of otherware?
As an interdisciplinary research community, HCI provides several perspectives on such a topic. Together, we want to speculate on appropriate forms of otherness for otherware. We hope to lay the foundation for a more nuanced perspective, and to debate on how to design interactions with computational counterparts besides the ideal of embodied interaction.
Participate
We invite researchers, artists, designers, and technologists to submit a 1-4-page position paper, portfolios, films, artworks, pictorials or other creative pieces that describes their work and interest in cultivating the otherness of computational counterparts, as well as a brief personal bio. We encourage the ACM single-column Review Submission Format, but you are welcome to submit using any format.
Facing the challenges and opportunities of Otherware, the objective of this workshop is to cover tools and methods to explore which attributes contribute to establish and foster alterity relationships, conceptual, ethical and normative issues, application domains, (design) case studies, and other creative approaches. We strongly encourage creatives, designers, and artists to submit their work even if they work is not located in academia.
Contribution deadline: 01.09.2020 (AoE)
Acceptance notification: 15.09.2020
Workshop date: TBA
Organisers
Matthias Laschke is a postdoctoral researcher at the chair for ‘Ubiquitous Design’ at the University of Siegen. His research focuses on the design and aesthetic of non-human actors in the areas of behavior change and automotive. His work has been published in various international books and magazines such as the R&D Salon of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Robin Neuhaus is a researcher at the chair for ‘Ubiquitous Design’ at the University of Siegen. With a background in industrial design and HCI, his research focuses on the design of experiences and objects in the fields such as meaningful automation. Recently, he conducted studies on the interaction with voice assistants and performances with non-human actors.
Judith Dörrenbächer is a researcher at the chair for 'Ubiquitous Design‘ at the University of Siegen. Her current focus is on performative methods in design, on theories about animism transferred to HCI and design (techno-animism) and on interaction and design strategies of social robots.
Marc Hassenzahl is professor for ‘Ubiquitous Design’ at the Department of Business Computing at the University of Siegen. With a doctorate in psychology, he combines his background in empirical science with a passion for interaction design. He focuses on the theory and design of meaningful technology-mediated everyday experiences. Marc publishes at the intersection of psychology, design research, interaction and industrial design.
Volker Wulf holds the chair of Information Systems and New Media at the University of Siegen. His research interests lie primarily in the area of IT system design in real-world contexts. This includes the development of innovative applications from the areas of cooperation systems, knowledge management and community support.
Astrid Rosenthal-von der Pütten is professor and director of the group Individual and Technology at the Department of Society, Technology, and Human Factors at RWTH Aachen University. Her research interests include social effects of artificial entities, human-robot interaction, linguistic alignment with robots and virtual agents, presence, and communication in social media.
Jan Borchers is professor of computer science and head of the Media Computing Group, an endowed Chair in the Computer Science Department at RWTH Aachen University. In his research, he explores the field of human-computer interaction, with a particular interest in new user interfaces for personal design and personal fabrication, augmented reality, wearable and tangible computing, interactive tables and surfaces, and interactive exhibits.
Susanne Boll is professor of Media Informatics and Multimedia Systems in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Oldenburg. Her research interests lie in the field of multimedia and human computer interaction. Her current focus is on designing interaction technology that is shaped toward a respectful and beneficial cooperation of human and technology in an automated world.
