International Workshop on Open Ended Technology Design

<p>Dear Friends,</p> <p>This very exciting workshop will take place ad part of <a href="http://www.tweak.ie" class="bb-url">Tweak </a>on September<br /> 23rd. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.</p> <p><span style="font-weight:bold">* REGISTRATION OPEN:* <a href="http://www.tweak.ie/open-ended.html" class="bb-url">http://www.tweak.ie/open-ended.html</a></p> <p>* International Workshop: "Open-Ended Design: Future Challenges for<br /> Designers and Developers" *</span></p> <p>Tweak Festival, University of Limerick (Ireland), September 23rd 2009</p> <p><span style="font-weight:bold">Invited Speakers: </span><br /> Rob Van Kranenburg (Council, the Netherlands),<br /> Tobie Kerridge (Goldsmiths College, UK),<br /> John McCarthy (UCC, Ireland)<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold"></p> <p>[b]* Workshop Theme *</span>[/b]<br /> This workshop is aimed at exploring issues surrounding new forms of<br /> technology design and development that reflect the increasing role that<br /> end-users have in dealing with novel technologies.</p> <p>Web 2.0, social networks, and open source hardware and software platforms<br /> have led to a major shift in the conceptualization of “users”, from passive<br /> recipients of previously packaged content and/or functionality, to active<br /> participants that are able to re-configure, personalize and adapt the<br /> technology.</p> <p>Increasingly designers of current interactive technologies are faced with<br /> the challenge of catering for a two-way interaction, in which the user wants<br /> to alter and adapt the technological object to make it useful to them. The<br /> designer and developer’s role becomes one of facilitating and enabling<br /> adaptive experiences rather than directing the user towards a specific<br /> experience of use. Additionally computers are also evolving in their form<br /> and function they are becoming objects we live with, not just tools for<br /> work, therefore the need to explore people’s broader relationships with<br /> technology and what these relationships say about our technology and our<br /> humanity becomes more apparent.</p> <p>The conception of design being an ongoing, social process is not new and<br /> there have been many studies of open source communities in this respect.<br /> However, there is a current debate relating to several aspects related to<br /> such new patterns of usage and re-appropriation of technology. Some of the<br /> open questions are: Can we deliberately design for appropriation? What does<br /> it really mean to modify and develop technologies for such behavior in<br /> practical terms? How is the role of the designer or developer changing?<br /> Which new hardware and software platforms are being developed with an eye<br /> towards user participation?</p> <p>The proposed workshop will explore challenges related to the conceptual<br /> framework for the design of interactive systems, the changing role of the<br /> designer/developer, the emergence of new technical platforms for open-ended<br /> user participation. The discussion at the workshop and its dissemination<br /> will contribute to the ongoing debate on these topics in the Interaction<br /> Design, Human-Computer Interaction and Software Development communities.</p> <p><span style="font-weight:bold">* Preliminary programme: *</span><br /> Presentations and discussions in the morning, followed by hands-on sessions<br /> facilitated by the speakers in the afternoon.</p> <p><span style="font-weight:bold">* WHEN*</span></p> <p>Date: Wednesday 23rd Sep 2009<br /> Doors open: 9.30 am<br /> Starts: 10am - 4.30pm</p> <p><span style="font-weight:bold">* WHERE*</span></p> <p>Kilmurry Hall, University of Limerick<br /> Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland</p> <p><span style="font-weight:bold">* REGISTER *</span><br /> Tickets and places available on a first come first served basis. Booking is<br /> now open at: <a href="http://www.tweak.ie/open-ended.html">http://www.tweak.ie/open-ended.html</a> </p>