CfP: European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics: ECCE 2008

In the early days, practitioners followed the time-honoured tradition of time & errors to assess performance in interactive systems. A good interface had to be efficient in helping users carrying out the tasks it was designed for. With the advent of videogames, game consoles, iPods and the ubiquitous cellphones and PDAs it seems that being usable and efficient are no longer the main goals of IT software artefacts and contraptions. Fun is supposed to take the consumer experience to next level even if at the expense of efficiency, performance and usability. Our profession is changing, or at least so the marketing guys want to make us believe. Or is it really?

ECCE 2008 aims to provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to exchange new ideas and practical experience in all areas of cognitive ergonomics that address the above challenge. Have the rules of the game been reversed, or do we need to devise new rules and redefine our methods and goals? Are Creativity, Cool and Fun dislodging Times and Methods? Or are new approaches emerging that provide tools to tackle the changing consumer market? By presenting, criticizing, and defending papers, ECCE 2008 participants will explore knowledge and research areas in cognitive ergonomics and invent new directions for advancing the state of play in both theoretical and practical aspects of cognitive ergonomics.

SCOPE
ECCE 2008 focuses on innovative concepts or approaches that address recent trends. Through this conference, it is envisaged that participants will report on innovative ideas and concepts to study cognitive ergonomics in future IT-intensive systems. Besides the focus, we also welcome the research works in all areas of cognitive ergonomics.

TOPICS
We invite papers that report on innovate concepts, fundamentals (concepts, theories, models, and principles), empirical studies, application and case studies, methodologies, surveys, systematic reviews, and critical appraisals which are relevant to the following topics (but not limited to):
- Affective/emotional aspects of human interaction with IT artefacts
- Cognitive task analysis and modelling
- Collaborative work
- Creativity
- Decision aiding, information presentation and visualization
- Design methods, tools, and methodologies for supporting cognitive tasks
- Evaluation of cognitive performance, social interaction, usability, etc.
- Human decision making and problem solving
- Human error and reliability
- Human learning behaviour
- Human-centred automation
- Innovative user interface concepts (including augmented and virtual reality, multimodal user interfaces, and wearable computing)
- Intelligent agent design
- Interfaces for people accessing under special cognitive conditions (at work, while driving, or using special equipment: mobile, small, or obsolete devices)
- Interfaces for people with cognitive restrictions
- Joint cognitive systems design
- Knowledge structure and mental model
- Methods and tools for studying cognitive tasks
- Situation awareness
- Supporting diverse user groups (the disabled, the elderly, children, personality traits, cognitive styles, gender, culture etc.)
- Task/function allocation
- Training systems design

IMPORTANT DATES
- 31 January 2008: 1st call for papers
- 28 February 2008: 2nd call for paper
- 15 March 2008: Last call for papers
- 30 March 2008: Submission of Extended Abstract of long and short papers, Poster & Demonstration papers, Panels and Doctoral Consortium paper and cover Letters.
- 18 May 2007: Notification of Acceptance.
- 24 June 2007: Submission of Camera-Ready Papers
- 16-19 September 2008: ECCE 2008
These are hard deadlines: no extensions will be announced

TYPES OF PARTICIPATION
We invite various types of papers as described below. All submissions must be written in English. Submissions for all the types will be published in the conference proceedings and indexed in the ACM Digital Library. The authors must declare in which type their paper is submitted. However, the authors of some full and/or short papers that would otherwise be rejected for the lack of space may be invited to re-submit their work as a poster paper. Authors of all categories should use the Word template that is provided on the conference website for both abstracts and camera-ready papers. Instruction how to make an online submission as well as registration fee will be announced on the conference website (http://www.ecce2008.eu/).

- Long papers category
Long papers should describe authors' original, completed research works that contribute to the topics relevant to the conference. Initially authors should submit an extended abstract of 4 pages. After acceptance of the extended abstract the authors will be invited to submit camera-ready papers of 8 pages maximum.

- Short papers category
Short papers should describe work-in-progress, industrial experiences, and innovative concepts or approaches, which can promote discussions among attendants. Initially authors should submit an extended abstract of 2 pages. After acceptance of the extended abstract, authors will be invited to submit camera-ready papers of 4 pages maximum.

- Poster & Demonstration category
Poster and Demonstration session aims to showcase work in a forum which facilitates open discussion. Poster and demonstration papers should not exceed 2 pages in total. Accepted Posters and Demonstration sessions will be published in the conference proceedings.

- Panels
Proposals for panels are welcome. Panel sessions are intended to allow focussed discussion on specific research topics. Panels will be allocated with 2 hours for presentations and discussion. Proposers should submit an extended abstract of 2 pages. After acceptance of the proposal, authors will be invited to submit camera-ready papers of 4 pages maximum. Proposers will have to select 5 position papers for each panel. Each paper accepted for a panel has to follow the guidelines for short papers proposals.

- Doctoral Consortium category
The aim of the ECCE 2008 Doctoral Consortium is to provide an opportunity for PhD students to participate in multi-disciplinary in-depth discussions of their work with fellow students and a panel of experts. The Consortium is designed for students currently registered for a PhD in Cognitive Ergonomics or a related field. Preference will be given to students who have carried out some initial research but are not so far down the road that they are getting ready to submit. The format for the doctoral consortium requires each participant to give a 15 minute presentation on their research. This will be followed by questions from other participants, and feedback from a panel of experts. See the website for Application Procedure and Special Costs

CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
General Chair:
Joaquim Jorge, INESC, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (P)

Organization Committee:
Co-Chairs: Nuno Jardim Nunes, University of Madeira (P),
Ian Oakley, University of Madeira (P)

Programme Committee:
Chair: Julio Abascal, University of the Basque Country (E)
Secretary: Inmaculada Fajardo. University of Manchester (UK)
Doctoral Consortium:
Gerrit van der Veer, Open Universiteit, (NL).
José J. Cañas, Universidad de Granada (E)
Posters and Demonstrations:
Willem-Paul Brinkman, Delft University of Technology (NL),
Norros Leena, VTT (SF)
Panels: William Wong, Middlesex University, (UK)
Françoise Detienne, INRIA (F)

VENUE
ECCE 2008 will be held in Madeira, Portugal. The conference hotel is the 5 star Tivoli Ocean Park.

Associated Link: ECCE 2008 Conference Website

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