Positive Technology Journal

Due to recent technological advances, it has become possible to integrate sensor and actuator technologies as well as wireless communication in everyday objects and environments. These developments open up a huge amount of innovative interaction scenarios, involving new forms of user interfaces. One kind that enables intuitive and natural interaction is tangible user interfaces, referring to interfaces in which persons interact with digital information through the physical environment. Tangible user interfaces are not limited to the interactions of a single person, but can be used to support interaction within - even dislocated - groups and smart artefacts.

Motivated by these developments, we see this workshop as an opportunity for exploring the potentials and perspectives of tangible interaction for supporting collaborative work. Because of its interdisciplinary topic, TICE 2006 aims at bringing together researchers of various fields, including Human Computer Interaction, Tangible User Interfaces, Computer Supported Collaborative Work, Sociology, Communication Technologies, Embedded Systems and Ubiquitous Computing, to discuss key issues, approaches, open problems, innovative applications, and trends of tangible interaction in collaborative environments.


TOPICS
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We welcome participants from all disciplines related to the topic of this workshop, including but not limited to Tangible User Interfaces, CSCW and Ubiquitous Computing environments. We invite original research papers and experience reports in all areas of collaborative methods and systems development. Additionally, position papers outlining novel research domains and approaches are welcome. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Interaction design of collaborative tangible environments
* Design process for embodied/tangible interaction
* Guidelines, methods and methodologies for collaborative interaction design
* Concepts and patterns for physical and tangible interaction
* Programming paradigms for building tangible environments
* New paradigms for collaborative environments

Technological aspects of tangible user interfaces
* Middleware, platforms and tools
* Architectural concepts for enhancing tangible interaction in groups
* Enabling technologies for instrumenting tangible artefacts
* Innovative technological solutions

Case studies and application scenarios
* Usability studies and evaluations of collaborative tangible environments
* Visions and application scenarios
* Security, privacy and trust in collaborative tangible environments
* Collaborative tangible interaction for mobile users

CO-CHAIRS
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Alois Ferscha
Department of Pervasive Computing
Johannes Kepler University Linz
Altenberger Straße 69
4040 Linz, Austria
Web: http://www.pervasive.jku.at/About_Us/Staff/Ferscha