Workshop on Usability Evaluation of Social Software (UESS’07)

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 Call for Papers

 
Workshop on Usability Evaluation of Social Software (UESS’07)
10th/11th September 2007
Rio de Janeiro
Brasil

 http://cost294.org/uess2007/

 This Workshop is held in conjunction with IFIP TC 13 Conference INTERACT 2007
(http://tuim.inf.puc-rio.br/interact2007/home.php)

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OVERVIEW

While today's social software is analogous to groupware that appeared in 1990s, the former is more versatile and light-weight, and able to support a wider range of group activities more dynamically than the latter. Types of software application enabling communication, interaction and collaboration transcendent of time and space are ever expanding (e.g., blogs, wikis, Flickr, del.icio.us, Skype, Flashmeeting). Users of these emergent tools are heterogeneous with a diversity of goals and needs. The ever blurring boundary between work and everyday life is broadening the concept of context and multitasking with multiple users and multiple tools becomes prevalent. All these factors render the task of evaluating social software extremely challenging. The high incompatibility between group activities and usability lab environments calls forth field and longer-term evaluation as well as adaptation of existing usability evaluation methods (UEMs) and metrics to cover most aspects of collaborative experience.

Effectiveness and efficiency (ISO 9241-11) may no longer be significant quality attributes for social software supporting unstructured tasks. User satisfaction, which can be gauged by (too) many different ways, then becomes the main concern. Besides, relationships between fuzzy quality attributes associated with group interactions/user experience (e.g. trust, social presence, awareness, fun, attractiveness and cohesiveness) and conventional usability metrics need to be defined and refined. Similarly, can theoretical frameworks embraced in HCI (e.g. activity theory) enable us to develop design/evaluation methods for social software? We should look into alternative theoretical models, including social-capital theory, social exchange theory and actor-network theory.

In summary, we face a number of challenges to identify and develop valid usability evaluation techniques and metrics specifically suited for social software. Solutions entail deep reflection on the prevailing concept and practice of usability as well as improved understanding of social interaction.

GOALS

* To assess the extensibility of existing UEMs and metrics for evaluating social software

* To gather case studies of evaluating social software, especially addressing strengths and weakness of usability evaluation techniques employed

* To define and develop alternative usability evaluation techniques and metrics for social software, especially with reference to theoretical frameworks rooted in social cognition and other social network theories

* To understand how socio-cultural factors influence perceived usability and other qualities of social software

* To identify the impact of usability evaluation outcomes on the redesign of social software

 
TOPICS

* Usability evaluation methods for social software

* Theoretical frameworks for social software: social cognition, social networking theory, social capital theory, social exchange theory

* Web 2.0 concepts and technologies; usage consequences and acceptance of blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, and syndication tools

* Design and evaluation of online community platforms

* Computer-mediated communication and online learning networks

* CSCW, cross-cultural communication and interaction

* Attributes of user satisfaction and user experience

* Interplay of usability evaluation and system redesign

* Value- and worth-centred design

* Other relevant topics will be considered

 
SUBMISSIONS

Interested applicants are invited to submit a paper describing a completed work or work in progress (max. 6 pages). Submissions will be evaluated according to the relevance and originality of the work and to their ability to generate discussions between the participants of the workshop. The format of submitted papers should follow the SIGCHI paper format. Papers should be submitted in PDF or Word format and sent to both co-chairs law@tik.ee.ethz.ch and svet@tik.ee.ethz.ch per e-mail.

 
IMPORTANT DATES

25th of June 2007: Submission of papers

15th of July 2007: Notification of acceptance

15th of August 2007: Camera-ready copies of accepted papers due

10th or 11th of September 2007: Workshop

 
WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES

All submissions will be peer reviewed by members of the program committee. Prior to the workshop, a Green Paper will be drafted based on ideas extracted from the submissions, which will be distributed to the workshop’s participants. A questionnaire will also be administered to collect the participants’ opinions, comments and questions on the Green Paper. The collected data will be consolidated and addressed in the workshop. Prior to the workshop, each participant will be assigned to review one paper and to present the commentary on the day of the workshop.

On the day of the workshop, the following activities will be conducted:

(i) Presentation of the Green Paper

(ii) Presentation of the papers and commentaries

(iii) Group discussion

(iv) Plenary reporting and forum

 
WORKSHOP ORGANISERS

Effie Lai-Chong Law, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Switzerland, law@tik.ee.ethz.ch

Svetlena Taneva, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Switzerland, taneva@tik.ee.ethz.ch

 
PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Ambjorn Naeve, Royal University of Technology, Sweden

Ebba Thora Hvannberg, University of Iceland, Iceland

Erik Duval, Katholic Louvain University, Belgium

Fridolin Wild, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria

Hans Hummel, Open University, the Netherlands

Gilbert Cockton, University of Sunderland, UK

Gitte Lindgaard, Carlton University, Canada

Milos Kravcik, Open University, the Netherlands

Ralf Klamma, Aachen RWTH, Germany