DIS '18

We are pleased to welcome Designing Interactive Systems DIS 2018 to Hong Kong. DIS 2018 is the first of its kind in two ways. It is in Asia for the first time. It is also in an art and design school for the first time.

The theme of the conference is Design and Diversity. The theme reflects a classic design theme - and also a foundational distinction in philosophy - of universals and particulars. Should we, as designers, follow Silicon Valley in its quest for products that engage everyone on the planet, or the architect Glenn Murcutt's conviction that he can only build in places he knows so well that his designs can be outstanding? The underlying logic of this question divides designers and design disciplines and emerges in every design process.

This theme operated as a guiding tool for selecting our four keynotes, professors Jodi Forlizzi, Kun-pyo Lee, Phoebe Sengers and Erik Stolterman. During their years in design, they have lived through its diversities. We were happy that they accepted the challenge to share their experiences and thoughts about diversity to the benefit of our community. The theme was also our tool for directing the DIS community into the future. A few years from now, we hope, we will start to see answers to the challenges our keynotes are posing to us.

The nucleus of the conference organization were two chairs and three technical chairs. This small group invited sixteen Subcommittee Chairs, three Pictorials chairs, and two chairs each for Workshops, Provocations and Work-in-Progress, Doctoral Consortium, and Demos. These chairs recruited 100 Associate Chairs, who recruited 1818 reviewers. Our review and decision schedule was brutal, but the organization worked through it efficiently, always with humor, and with collegial respect.

DIS 2018 received 645 submissions: 405 for full papers and notes submissions; 71 for pictorials; 23 for workshops submissions; 107 for Provocations and Work-in-Progress (out of these, 19 were Provocations); 20 for Doctoral Consortium Submissions; and 19 for Demos. Acceptance rates were: 23% for papers and notes, 24% Pictorials, 55% for Workshops, 73% for Demos, 53% for PWiPs, and 50% for Doctoral Consortium.

All this work led into a highly competitive conference between 9-13 June. June 9-10 were reserved for Workshops and Doctoral Consortium, and June 11-13 for 28 paper sessions. Pictorials are not in separate sessions; they are treated the same way as Full Papers. The 11th of June became an Experience Night of Demos, PWiPs, and a small design exhibition, which illuminated interaction design in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. As extra, we organized a postconference trip to a few technology companies in Shenzhen, China.