Over the past years, several workshops and an increasing number of scientific publications have been dedicated to shape-changing interfaces. It is clear that the interest in shape-changing interfaces is growing within the HCI research community. However, perspectives of how shape-changing interfaces should or can contribute to HCI are diverse. Different research groups and cultures focus on different qualities of shape changing objects, such as their abilities to convey emotion, change the affordances of an object, or visualize dynamic information.

This workshop will provide a forum to discuss and share the different approaches and uses researchers and designers have for shape-change. It aims to: (1) Share current state-of-the-art prototypes and design approaches; (2) Exchange practices and experience through hands-on case studies; (3) Synthesize different perspectives with the aim of producing a consistent language to talk about shape-change.

We will discuss design perspectives and technologies informed by the participants’ personal viewpoints and experiences in the field of shape-changing interfaces. Furthermore, we will facilitate hands-on exploration of different approaches to the design and implementation of shape-changing interfaces, and provide the know-how to explore and implement ideas generated in the discussion session. Fabrication approaches include, but are not limited to, elastic polymers, shape memory alloys, electroactive polymers, pneumatic actuators, linear and rotary motors and encoders as well as thermoplastics for structural elements and all required tools and interfaces. We encourage participants to explore techniques outside their expert domain in order to generate valuable feedback addressing the challenges in limitations found in adopting distinct design perspectives towards the development of shape-changing interfaces. Our goal is to use the workshop as a platform to learn about each other’s work—the challenges, tools and techniques being used. We believe this discussion, informed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, is an important step to move the field of shape-changing interfaces forward.

We invite you to submit a 2-4 page position paper, or case study, in ACM Extended Abstracts format, that describes the design process and implementation of a shape changing interface, how you personally work with shape-changing interfaces or your perspective on their opportunities/limitations. Your submission can focus on the design, the ideation process, the theory, the technical implementations or a combination which is applicable to your workflow. The abstracts will be used to compare and contrast the different ways we have of utilizing shape changes. For more detailed instructions please check www.shapechangingUI.org.

Please indicate which of the position paper authors will attend the workshop. Places are limited and we may need to cap the number of attendees per accepted paper. At least one author from each accepted paper must register for the workshop and at least one day of the conference.

Workshop website: www.shapechangingUI.org
Format: 2-4 pages in ACM Extended Abstracts Format
Submission: by email to papers@shapechangingui.org
Early Submission Deadline:  14th of December 2015
Early Notification:  21st of December 2015
Final Submission Deadline: 8th of January 2016
Final Notification: 15th of January 2016
Camera Ready Submission: 12th of February 2016
Workshop: 7th and 8th of May 2016