Sometime recently, the CHI 2007 organizers released info on the student design competition for the next annual conference. I was prompted to look again after Erik distributed something about a cog-sci student contest on Alzheimers. CHI is going to be held in California this go-round from April 28 to May 3 — unfortunately, New Orleans Jazz Fest time, too — and will be the 25th anniversary. Those facts, along with some conference spending money courtesy of the Ph.D. program will pretty much lock me into going.
For those of you looking to pick up where Christy Reed left off, here’s the current design problem:
Traffic congestion and under utilized public transport can cost local governments and businesses millions in expenses. Statistics indicate that around 10% of journeys are made by public transport, and almost 7 times as many are made by car. Recently, petrol prices have surged due to supply concerns, and if this trend continues, increases in cost of fuel will start to impinge upon business and retail spending. Research shows that cars contribute 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, which may affect climate change, and a study by the European Commission in 2005 calculated that airborne pollution reduced life expectancy in the EU by an average of almost 9 months, and was responsible for 310,000 premature deaths.
We invite student teams to design a service to promote or encourage the use of public transit. The solutions should follow a user centered design process, supported by background and, if possible, ethnographic research of the solution space. In keeping with the theme of the 2007 conference, we encourage students to Reach Beyond to a target group of users beyond their immediate peers: solutions could support a specific target group of passengers, for example, young professionals, parents with children, the elderly or handicapped. Alternatively, the solution could provide help for drivers, or a tool for supporting a local transport infrastructure. Solutions should be focused on a real location and be sensitive to the target user’s needs and those of the local culture.
I was really hoping for something extremely germane to my interests (online communities, politics, parenting, … something) so I could have a real excuse to enter again. Public transportation is much more interesting to me than last year’s topic, or even the one IU also won in 2005. I’m on the fence about it, although I really think that this would be my last chance to enter again. Quals are in 2008 and (hopefully) there will be a dissertation in 2009.
Oh, and student volunteer applications will start being accepted in September. From what I hear from peers, it is well worth the time investment (especially at these prices).