call for participation

Papers

Papers are the main medium for conveying new research results at UIST and must describe original, unpublished work.

Abstracts due (title, abstract, author list)	Wednesday March 31, 2021 5pm PT
Papers due (paper PDF)	Wednesday April 7, 2021 5pm PT
Alt-text and videos (with subtitles) due	Monday, April 12, 5pm PT
Initial reviews sent to authors Two-week rebuttal period starts (all papers have a rebuttal opportunity, no cut-off)	Wednesday May 26, 2021 5pm PT
Rebuttals due	Wednesday June 9, 2021 5pm PT
Decisions sent to authors (conditional acceptance or rejection)	Friday June 25, 2021 5pm PT
Final reviews sent to authors	Wednesday June 30, 2021 5pm PT
Camera-ready versions due	Wednesday July 28, 2021 5pm PT
Final acceptance decision	Wednesday August 4, 2021 5pm PT
Video preview due	TBD

Submission Information

Submission Platform	All materials must be submitted electronically to PCS 2.0 http://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi by the abstract and paper deadline In PCS 2.0, first click “Submissions” at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus for society, conference, and track select “SIGCHI”, “UIST 2021” and “UIST 2021 Papers”, respectively, and press “Go”.
Submission Format and Length	We will adopt the ACM TAPS Workflow: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow Submissions should be made using the single-column format in PDF: Word Submission Template (example PDF), or sample-manuscript.tex using \documentclass[manuscript,review,anonymous]{acmart} for the LaTeX template (example PDF). The reason we require single-column submission is to reduce unconscious bias in the review process towards Word and LaTeX authors. UIST papers are of variable length. Paper length must be based on the weight of the contribution. A new idea presented in a compact format is more likely to be accepted than the same idea in a long format, and shorter more focused papers are encouraged. For authors familiar with the two-column UIST format to estimate the length of their paper using the single-column template used as part of the TAPS workflow, please consider a manuscript of ~7,500-10,000 words to be roughly 10 pages in two-column format.
Accompanying Video	Optional, but highly encouraged Resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080), encoded as MP4 using the H.264 codec No more than five minutes long Subtitles are required (3-day grace period)
Maximum File Size	Maximum total size for all files < 100 MB
Anonymity	Anonymous, i.e. authors must remove their names and affiliations throughout all submission materials (paper, videos, supplementary material) [anonymity policy]
Selection Process	Referred, i.e. the program committee and a set of external reviewers will review submitted papers
Publication	Archival, i.e. accepted papers will be published in the ACM Digital Library and distributed in digital form to conference attendees
Presentation Format	Talk at the conference by one or more authors of the paper Expected to be 10 minute slots, including pre-recorded talk and live Q&A. Details to be updated by April 7
Demo	Authors of accepted papers will be invited to participate in the UIST demo session

Program Chairs

Questions? Contact: program2021@uist.org

Program Technology Chair

Posters

Posters provide an interactive forum in which authors can present their work to conference attendees during special poster sessions. Posters are an opportunity to describe new work or work that is still in progress, and work that is already presented in other venues but to share more with the UIST community.

Posters are non-archival, will be more lightly reviewed (curated) than papers.

Submission deadline	July 14, 2021, 5pm PDT
Acceptance notification	August 4, 2021
Camera-ready versions due	August 18, 2021, 5pm PDT
Video preview due (optional)	September 25, 2021, 5pm PDT

Submission Information

Submission Platform	All submission materials must be submitted electronically to PCS 2.0 http://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi before the submission deadline In PCS 2.0, first click “Submissions” at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus for society, conference, and track select “SIGCHI”, “UIST 2021” and “UIST 2021 Posters", respectively, and press “Go”.
Submission Format and Length	Poster abstract We will adopt the ACM TAPS Workflow: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow We do not have a strong page limit, but we recommend that authors prepare a manuscript of ~1,500-2,000 words to equate to the prior 2-page length (plus references)     Accompanying Poster Full size poster design in PDF to be displayed on the web Recommended physical size is less than 30 X 40 inches (76 X 101 cm) Either portrait or landscape
Accompanying Video	Optional, but highly encouraged Videos will be displayed through appropriate web access (details coming soon, example gallery view from UIST’20: https://uist.acm.org/uist2020/gallery.html?filter=titles) Resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080), encoded as MP4 using the H.264 codec No more than five minutes long
Maximum File Size	Maximum total size for all files < 50 MB
Anonymity	Not anonymous, include author names and institutions on extended abstract, poster, and the optional video
Selection Process	Juried by the UIST poster chairs Less rigorous than paper review and does not include an author’s response or conditional acceptance, i.e. authors may expect to only receive light feedback Juried content is generally not required to make the same level of lasting and significant contribution as refereed content
Publication	Non-archival, ideas described in UIST posters can be resubmitted as an extended full paper in subsequent years Poster abstracts (2 pager) will be included in the ACM digital library as adjunct proceedings and distributed in digital form to conference attendees, the Poster design will not be included in the ACM digital library
Presentation Format	A poster session lasting 1-2 hours on the first or second day of the conference via a dedicated Discord channel for live discussions with visitors Authors will receive non-binding recommendations and access to the platform for technical setup about 2 weeks before the conference UIST’21 website will provide a permanent place to display the preview (via the gallery: title, poster, DOI, preview videos if any) At least one author is requested to stand by their poster during the poster session to speak with conference attendees
Concurrent UIST Demo Submission	The same work cannot be submitted to both the UIST demo and poster tracks double submissions will only be considered as a demo submission and will be rejected from the poster track
Novelty of Work	Resubmission of posters previously shown at other venues is allowed Please state previous poster venues and differences to previous posters in the appropriate box in PCS

The UIST Poster Example Gallery has ideas and guidelines for poster designs (coming soon).

Poster Chairs

Questions? Contact: posters2021@uist.org

Demos

Demonstrations show early implementations of novel and compelling interaction concepts, techniques, devices and systems. Demonstrations should be brief, and robust enough to be shown repeatedly. We particularly encourage highly interactive demos— from novel web systems and prototype devices, to new materials, physical outputs, and large interactive installations. Demos are one of the highlights of the UIST conference.

Virtual format: Based on last year’s success, we are excited to deliver the innovative online format for UIST Demos again! The virtual format gives a broader audience the opportunity to explore the latest innovations in interactive technologies. For authors, the submission process is unchanged, and all demo submissions go through a rigorous curation process. Demo chairs will announce recommendations for presentation formats and logistics and provide early access for technical setup before the online conference. For questions please email the Demo chairs: demos2021@uist.org.

Submission deadline	July 14, 2021, 5pm PDT
Acceptance notification	August 4, 2021
Camera-ready versions due	August 18, 2021, 5pm PDT
Video preview due	August 25, 2021, 5pm PDT

Submission Information

Submission Platform	All submission materials must be submitted electronically to PCS 2.0 http://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi before the submission deadline In PCS 2.0, first click “Submissions” at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus for society, conference, and track select “SIGCHI”, “UIST 2021” and “UIST 2021 Demos", respectively, and press “Go”.
Submission Format and Length	Demo abstract We will adopt the ACM TAPS Workflow: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow The manuscript should have max. 2,000 words (excluding references, which equates to the prior 2-page length limit Demo Video This video should be a standalone demonstration of the work It shows the working demo in appropriate detail It will be published ahead of time (~2 weeks before the conference) on the conference website Length recommendation: up to 5 min
Preview Video	Video previews are mandatory Recommended resolution: 1080p (1920 x 1080) Length: 30 seconds
Anonymity	Demo submissions are not anonymous. Author names and institutions will be visible to the reviewing committee throughout the submission process.
Selection Process	Demos are juried by the UIST demo chairs, and there is no rebuttal phase Due to the nature of the juried process, authors will not receive review feedback and will only be informed about the decision
Publication	Non-archival, ideas presented as a UIST demo can be resubmitted as an extended full paper in subsequent years Demo abstracts (2 pager) will be included in the ACM digital library as adjunct proceedings and distributed in digital form to conference attendees
Presentation Format	An interactive online demo session with a live audience At least one author is requested to present their demo during demo sessions and to speak with conference attendees Authors of will receive non-binding recommendations and access to the platform for technical setup about 2 weeks before the conference
Concurrent UIST Poster Submission	The same work cannot be submitted to both the UIST demo and poster tracks Double submissions will only be considered as a demo submission and will be rejected from the poster track
Novelty	Resubmission of demo previously shown at other venues is allowed Please mention if your work has been demonstrated at other venues in your PCS submission
Demos of Accepted UIST 2021 Papers	Authors of accepted full papers will need to submit an entry into the demos track. they have two choices: (1) Regular demo submission: authors are welcome to submit a demo abstract (2 pager), which will result in the abstract being included in the ACM digital library adjunct proceedings. This is sometimes relevant to reflect differences between paper and demo, e.g., changes in the list or order of authors. (2) Fast track: paper authors can indicate in their submission that the demo accompanies a paper. they are only required to submit a video preview and other relevant metadata (e.g., title and abstract).

Demo Chairs

Questions? Contact: demos2021@uist.org

Doctoral Symposium

The UIST Doctoral Symposium provides a unique opportunity for Ph.D. students to interact with established academic and industry researchers in the UIST community. Students can receive both feedback on technical aspects of their research as well as mentoring about different career options. The range of topics appropriate for the Doctoral Symposium is the same as the topics covered in the UIST Technical Papers program. Participants will be selected based on their anticipated contributions to the breadth and depth of the intellectual discussions at the symposium. This year, the Doctoral Symposium will be held as a virtual symposium. We will spread out the symposium over two days: instead of one long session, we plan to have multiple shorter sessions on Monday and Tuesday. There will be some shared social activity with the panelists which will be organized closer to the actual date. The UIST Doctoral Symposium is a by invitation only event.

As with previous years, participants will have the opportunity to interact with distinguished panelists from the UIST community.

Submission deadline	June 30, 2021, 5pm PDT
Acceptance notification	July 21, 2021
Camera-ready versions due	August 4, 2021, 5pm PDT
Doctoral Symposium date	October 9-10, 2021

Submission Information

Eligibility	Current Ph.D. student studying within the full range of disciplines and approaches that contribute to the UIST community Single-author
Submission Platform	All submission materials must be submitted electronically to PCS 2.0 http://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi before the submission deadline In PCS 2.0, first click “Submissions” at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus for society, conference, and track select “SIGCHI”, “UIST 2021” and “UIST 2021 Doctoral Symposium", respectively, and press “Go”.
Submission Format and Length	We will adopt the ACM TAPS Workflow: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow 4 pages maximum + references
Accompanying Video	Optional, but highly encouraged Resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080), encoded as MP4 using the H.264 codec No more than five minutes long
Maximum File Size	Maximum total size for all files < 50 MB
Anonymity	Not anonymous, include the single author's name and institution(s) on the submission
Selection Process	Juried by the UIST Doctoral Symposium chairs and invited panelists Maximum 8 students will be selected Criteria: anticipated contributions to the breadth and depth of the intellectual discussions of the symposium Preference will be given to applicants beyond the proposal stage and well into their dissertation research Does not include an author’s response or conditional acceptance, i.e. authors will only receive feedback along with the final decision
Publication	Non-archival, ideas presented as the UIST Doctoral Symposium can be resubmitted Doctoral Symposium abstracts (4 pager) will be included in the ACM digital library as adjunct proceedings and distributed in digital form to conference attendees
Presentation Format	Talk at the Doctoral Symposium event, followed by extensive discussion with the panel and the other student participants The student author is requested to attend The exact times of sessions will be announced after the acceptance notification date
Novelty of Work	The Doctoral Symposium abstract should describe ongoing work and might summarize the student's full dissertation work, or highlight a particular part in depth
Posters for Accepted Submissions	Each student is encouraged to present a poster describing his or her work to the full conference Posters will be presented within the UIST poster session

Doctoral Symposium Chairs

Questions? Contact: doctoralsymposium2021@uist.org

UIST Visions

Back for its third year, UIST Visions is a venue for forward thinking ideas to inspire the community. The goal is not to report research but to propose new research directions. We want to project the UIST community as thought leaders in HCI technology. A maximum of 2 speakers will be invited and the review will be based on how interesting and provocative the ideas are. The author should aim to start a meaningful and well informed discussion about future directions for computer-human interfaces. Appropriate issues might be: future trends, foundational technologies that we need to make progress on, significant, compelling problems that the community might address, something that is missing, or an alternative perspective on what we do.

Submission deadline	August 31, 2020, 5PM PDT
Acceptance notification	tbd
Slide submission	tbd

Submission Information

Eligibility	single author
Submission Platform	All submission materials must be submitted electronically to PCS 2.0 http://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi before the submission deadline In PCS 2.0, first click “Submissions” at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus for society, conference, and track select “SIGCHI”, “UIST 2020” and “UIST 2020 Visions", respectively, and press “Go”.
Submission Format and Length	UIST Full Paper Format: Word Template | Latex Template | Overleaf Template 1 page + references
Accompanying Video	none
Maximum File Size	maximum total size for all files < 50 MB
Anonymity	not anonymous, include the author's name and institution(s) on the 1 page submission
Selection Process	curated by the UIST vision chair less rigorous than paper review and does not include an author’s response or conditional acceptance, i.e. authors will not receive any formal feedback other than the selection decision up to two speakers will be selected
Publication	non-archival, ideas presented as a UIST vision can be resubmitted as a full paper in subsequent years vision abstracts (1 pager) will be included in the ACM digital library as adjunct proceedings and distributed in digital form to conference attendees, the slides will not be included in the ACM digital library
Presentation Format	talk at the conference 15 minute presentation + 15 minute Q&A accepted speakers will be required to sign the approval form to record and publish the talk slides will be reviewed ahead of the conference to ensure a great, engaging presentation

Visions Chair

Questions? Contact: vision2020@uist.org

Student Volunteers

Application due	July 15, 2020 August 10, 2020 5pm PDT
Acceptance notification	August 5, 2020 August 31, 2020

Student Volunteers Chairs

Questions? Contact: sv2020@uist.org

Student Innovation Contest

Application Deadline	August 24, 2020, 5pm PDT
Acceptance Notification	August 31, 2020, 5pm PDT

Theme: Letting the Distance Bring us Together

Apply here: SIC registration page

We are excited to announce the theme of the 2020 student innovation contest: Letting the Distance Bring us Together. Exceptionally this year, we are taking the challenge to another level by shifting the focus from a specific hardware platform, to the design of solutions that would allow us to renew, repair, or strengthen the fabric of our society in these times of uncertainty.

Needless to say, the global pandemic we are facing has deeply affected most, if not all, facets of our academic, personal and social lives. For many, simple activities such as meeting with friends and family, attending classes, or purchasing groceries had to be relearned in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The in-person social isolation experienced by significant portions of the population has already been shown to have serious detrimental effects on physical and mental well-being. However, on a larger scale, this situation has unearthed and/or emphasized deeply rooted inequalities and tensions within our society. People all over the planet are regrouping to protest for their rights, oftentimes going against public health recommendations.

The Challenge

With this theme, we are presenting student teams with the challenge to design and/or rethink technologies to attempt to attenuate, or solve, some of the most serious current issues. We leave to them the difficult decision to select and scope the problem they want to tackle within that broad space. Whether they decide to design tools that allow the effective continuation of research work within the current context, a videoconferencing platform that is more accessible to non-tech savvy, disabled, or elderly users, or a novel framework that allows local community-driven support groups to coordinate their efforts, we are expecting creative technological solutions that not only push the boundaries of human-computer interaction, but also propose tangible solutions to real world problems.

Uniquely this year, to encourage remote team work, no hardware platform will be provided. In addition, although we encourage building a functional prototype, it is not a requirement. We hope to also see submissions of creative conceptual prototypes. A convincing demonstration of the proposed solution’s practicality will be expected. Through these measures, we wish to ensure all participants’ safety and make the contest as accessible as possible to a broader community.

Contest Structure

Proposal Submission and Selection

The proposal submission deadline is August 24th, 2020 17:00 PDT.

To participate you must:

1. Complete the form on the SIC registration page (contact information, etc.)
2. Provide a link to supporting document (SIGCHI extended abstract format, 3-page max including references)

The extended abstract must clearly, yet succinctly, introduce the following elements. A committee composed of UIST community members will select up to 15 submissions for the next phase based on these criteria:

• Clarity of the problem statement
• Identification of the affected population
• Usefulness, creativity and complexity of the proposed solution
• Realistic hypothesized/anticipated impact

Acceptance decisions will be emailed to each team by August 31, 2020.

Final Manuscript and Video Submission

Accepted teams will receive feedback on their submission, and have the opportunity to meet with the chairs and/or other relevant mentors from the UIST community to discuss their project. This will allow accepted teams to further hone the scope of their submission, their design concept, and expand on the practicality of their concept towards the final submission.

Before October, teams will submit an updated extended abstract (maximum 6 pages including references), accompanied by a 3 minutes video to present their project. Submitted videos must follow UIST’s technical requirements. The final submission and the accompanying video should clearly demonstrate the practicality of the proposed solution by using, for example, a combination of the following techniques which together show both innovativeness and feasibility

• A completely or partially functional implementation of the concept
• An interactive mockup
• Wizard of Oz approach (WoZ), which might be demonstrated with a video
• A description of each sub-component of the system and how it would be implemented, or at least evidence that demonstrates their feasibility. E.g., technical diagrams, pseudo-code, references to existing literature showing feasibility.

It is important that your final submission clearly communicates what elements were implemented, WoZ’ed, etc.

Beyond these examples, the SIC is a perfect opportunity to explore methods and techniques that we are not familiar with in a low risk environment! We are hoping to see your creativity transpire beyond the design concept itself, and to be blown away by your videos and presentations.

Evaluation

A jury composed of experienced UIST community members will evaluate teams based on the following criteria:

• Adequately scoped problem statement
• Identification of the affected population
• Outreach to member(s) of the affected population (e.g., video interviews, co-design activities, feedback on design iterations)
• Usefulness, creativity and complexity of the proposed technological solution
• Practicality of the proposed solution
• Realism and scale of the hypothesized/anticipated impact
• An acknowledgement of the challenges that would hinder implementation or adoption, and how they could be best overcome.
• General impression of the project

During the Conference

The extended abstracts and videos will be made available prior to the conference in an online gallery, allowing attendees to familiarize themselves with the different projects. Similarly to the poster and demonstration tracks, a synchronous interactive session will be held to allow live Q&A between conference attendees and SIC participants. More detailed information and instructions will be provided to participating teams.

Awards

Innovation comes in many forms. At UIST, we to provide Student Innovation Contest awards for the following categories:

• Jury Award
• People's Choice (Attendee Votes)
• Best Video (Attendee Votes)

The SIC Jury Award winning team will be announced prior to the beginning of the conference. Their final extended abstract and video will be identified as such on the online conference platform, increasing their exposure. The People’s Choice and Best Video awards will be announced at the end of the conference. Winners from all categories will win cash prizes and a UIST SIC certificate. Note that we reserve the right to change the awards structure during the contest.

Other Contest Rules

Team Size: Teams must be composed of 2 to 5 members.

Team Composition: A given participant cannot be part of more than one team. While not mandatory, we encourage multidisciplinary, multinational teams.

Eligibility: All members must be registered full-time students at a recognized academic institution at the submission deadline’s date. Students of all levels (high school, bachelor's, master's, PhD) are encouraged to participate.

Registration Requirement: If your team is accepted, at least one of your team members MUST register for the conference (or be accepted as a student volunteer). This is for two reasons: 1) you have to present your idea, and 2) UIST is an awesome conference!

SIC Chairs

Questions? Contact the SIC Chairs! sic2020@uist.org