User-Lab Calls for International Design and Engagability
Conference (IDEC) 2006 Papers

Released on = October 19, 2005, 11:46 pm

Press Release Author = Elemental PR

Industry = Internet & Online

Press Release Summary = User-Lab http://www.user-lab.com, not-for-profit, design and research centre is calling for papers ahead of the third International Design and Engagability Conference (IDEC) to be held in late 2006.

Press Release Body = 20 October, 2005, West Midlands, UK

User-Lab Calls for International Design and Engagability Conference (IDEC) Papers

Design and Research Centre User-Lab Calls for International Design and Engagability Conference (IDEC) 2006 Papers

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User-Lab http://www.user-lab.com, not-for-profit, design and research centre is calling for papers ahead of the third International Design and Engagability Conference (IDEC) to be held in late 2006.

User-Lab hosted the second IDEC in September 2005 at Napier University http://www.bcs-hci.org.uk/hci2005/confprog.asp in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the success of the conference prompting the call for early papers for the forthcoming IDEC 2006. IDEC is now seeking case studies, examples, papers, reports and research
from more specialists.

The conference consists of international researchers from Europe, the United States and Australasia. The conference is targeted at other researchers interested in engagability, and businesses interested in designing their products and services around engagement with consumers. Guest speakers so far include David Benyon of
Napier, University, Mike Williams and Suzanne Begley of Public Life.

John Knight at User-Lab explains a little more about the third IDEC conference,“Attendees will mostly learn about this new subject in design that is going to be moving waves through the creative, design and user-centred design industries in the coming months from a range of experienced international speakers. This is a multidisciplinary conference and so delegates will learn a wide range of new research findings that would not normally be found in one place.”

“Industry realises the need to make its products and services usable and accessible. We are, however, getting to the stage where products have similar features and are becoming commoditised. This means that creating and engaging experience with the product is critical in making is successful both for consumers and manufacturers.
Take mobile phones for example, they have gone beyond usable and are increasingly differentiated through their design that focused not just on functionality but on aesthetics and engagement; with the product and through the product,” adds Knight

IDEC 2006 format will consist of a short keynote address at the beginning followed by speakers presenting their papers in twenty minute slots. Delegates will be able to ask questions and there will be. Delegates will be able to ask questions and take away the proceedings.

A new call for abstracts is also going to be requested. IDEC 2006 welcomes delegates and participants with an interest in engaging experiences, products and services. This one-day international conference celebrates engagement and the themes include, but are not limited to:

• Aesthetics
• E-commerce
• E-health
• Games
• Industrial design
• Interactive arts
• Mobile Computing
• Mobile Media
• Performance
• Product Design
• Three Dimensional Design
• Visual Communication

Requirements

Long Papers
250-word abstract

Short Papers
250-word abstract

Posters
250-word description

Interactive Experiences
250-word description

Submissions should be emailed to John Knight, Director at User-Lab via (+44 (0) 121 331 7868 or http://www.biad.uce.ac.uk/research/userlabSite/about.html) by 22
December 2005.

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----Notes to editors----

This press release in available in PDF, plain text and Word formats.

The media spokesperson for User-Lab is John Knight, Director. Photographs are available of the User-Lab team

About User-Lab
http://www.user-lab.com

User-Lab is a not-for-profit user-centred design organisation based at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design http://www.biad.uce.ac.uk/. The lab is part of the Institute’s Research Department and is staffed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in digital media design, human-computer interaction, psychology and software engineering. From 2000 the lab has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with RDAs, FEs, charities and the public and private sector.

----Contact----

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Web Site = http://www.elementalpr.co.uk

Contact Details = Elemental PR

Tim Gibbon, Elemental PR
Email: mediacentre@elementalpr.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0) 870 745 9292
Mobile: +44 (0) 793 037 5663
Fax: +44 (0) 870 745 9293

Website: http://www.elementalpr.co.uk

Address: Second Floor, 145 -157 St John Street, London, EC1V 4PY, England, UK