Wakkary to co-edit ACM Interactions

posted: august 25. 2010

This article is a news release from the Association for Computing Machinery. For more information, please see www.acm.org

acm

The Association for Computing Machinery                                            

Advancing Computing as a Science & Profession

Contact:           Virginia Gold                                 

                        212-626-0505

LEADING DESIGN RESEARCHERS NAMED CO-EDITORS OF ACM MAGAZINE

FOR HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION COMMUNITY

 Wakkary and Stolterman to Focus interactions on Design Practices

of Researchers and Practitioners from a Global Perspective

NEW YORK, NY, August 23, 2010 –ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) www.acm.org  has named two distinguished leaders of the human computer interaction (HCI) community as co-editors of interactions, its bi-monthly publication http://interactions.acm.org/.  Ron Wakkary of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and Erik Stolterman of Indiana University will bring to interactions their vision of how and why human beings interact with the designed world of technologies. They will also promote global perspectives of the field for readers.  interactions, ACM’s premier magazine on applied computer-human interaction (CHI), aims to keep developers, designers, managers, researchers, and users abreast of the latest tools and ideas emerging from the CHI community.  The first issue of interactions produced by the new editorial team will appear in January 2011. 

            In its vision statement, interactions is described as a magazine that encompasses “the multiplicities of conversations, collaborations, relationships and new discoveries focused on how and why we interact with the designed world of technologies.”  The editors characterize interactions as a vehicle that carries “a special voice” that encompasses both practice and research.  Wakkary and Stolterman say they are committed to bringing the two areas closer within the pages of the magazine with an emphasis on making human-computer interaction research accessible and engaging for practitioner communities. 

             Editors Wakkary and Stolterman also intend to explore new directions in the dynamic design field, and to increase the magazine’s content through expanded participation of its readers for both online and print articles.  To globalize the content, they will encourage contributions from more international authors, and promote global perspectives on design practices through their network of connections and relationships within the international community. 

            A researcher in interaction design and tangible computing, Ron Wakkary is an associate professor at Simon Fraser University’s interdisciplinary program of computing, design and media art.  In his leadership role in the development of the first interaction design programs in Canada for undergraduates and graduates, he saw the need to put emerging human-computer interaction and design research into educational practice.  A practicing interaction designer, he led a design consultancy in New York, and developed an appreciation of the need to integrate HCI and design research into professional practice. 

            Wakkary is a prolific writer and presenter of his ideas about what is needed to design interactive systems that will have value for everyday lives.  A frequent contributor to the interaction community, he served as chair for several past ACM conferences, and will co-chair the Design Subcommittee for ACM’s Computer Human Interaction (CHI) 2011 conference http://www.chi2011.org/ in Vancouver, British Columbia.

            Erik Stolterman is director of the Human-Computer Interaction Design Program and professor of Informatics at Indiana University.  Prior to joining Indiana University in 2005, he chaired the Department of Informatics at Umeå University in Sweden, where he continues as a professor.  He is also affiliated with Sweden’s Umeå Institute of Design.  Stolterman has built a strong publications record with books and articles on the professional practice of interaction design and the relationship between research and practice.  As the design perspective within professional communities has exploded in recent years, he has been instrumental in bringing design into the human-computer interaction field. 

            Stolterman’s experience as an editor of a book series and author of several books as well as his exposure to academic conferences and journals has brought him a deep understanding of what the professional world and employers are seeking as core competencies in the interaction design field.  He has also worked with the International Design Association (IxDA) and blogs at Transforming Grounds http://transground.blogspot.com/

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org, is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.