The Critique submission category will establish a forum for critical and insightful perspectives that challenge the status quo of computing. Submissions must address the conference theme: “Participative computing for sustainable futures,” and will be assessed based on their ability to critically dissect, provoke, or inspire. The Critiques track will spark thought-provoking discussions across subject areas, research traditions, and generations.

Potential submission formats include but are not limited to:

•    Essay

•    Creative Writing e.g manifestos, stories, fictions

•    Pictorial

•    Artwork e.g software, video games, audio-visual art

•    Theoretical or analytical article

•    Provotype

•    Artifact with networked, generative, and/or programmed elements

Important Dates

•    Submission (abstract and full submission): 27th April 2022 (16h CET)

•    Author notification: 01 July 2022

•    Camera-ready deadline: 15 August 2022

We invite submissions from people working in different research traditions and creative practices and at different stages of their careers. It is our hope that the accepted program will reflect a broad range of the many innovative research environments that have been emerging internationally in recent years within e.g. HCI, STS, software studies, digital aesthetics, critical design, computer science, and fabrication. We believe that this will contribute a constructive mix of concord and friction at the conference, that will contribute to the further growth of our research community.

Authors will be actively involved in the creation of a digital summary publication of their accepted submissions to go live at the conference. This digital publication will be publicly available as a living artifact throughout and after the conference, enabling on-site and remote attendees alike to take part. This way, the Critique submission category will embody the conference theme, through the direct involvement of authors and conference participants in the continuous production of a sustainable digital artifact. 

Submissions 

All materials must be submitted electronically to PCS by the deadline. In PCS, click “Submissions” at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus select “SIGCHI”, “NordiCHI 2022” and the track you want to submit to.

It will be possible to submit two forms of critiques (or a combination of the two):

1.    Critical writing - writings must be no longer than 8000 words (excluding references).

2.    Critical artifact - artifact submissions must include a written abstract that describes the artifact. Abstracts must be no longer than 500 words. 

Please see the Submission Format section below for information about submission formats.

Submitted critiques must be anonymized for double-blind peer review, i.e., submissions must be appropriately anonymized to conceal the authors' identities and institutions. This means that authors are expected to remove author and institutional identities from the title and header areas of the submission. References to own prior work must be provided as appropriate but should be referred in a neutral manner.

Selection process

All submitted critiques will undergo double-blind peer review by 3 external reviewers, whose reviews will be used by the Critiques chairs to make the final decision.

Publication

Archival, i.e. accepted critiques will be published in the ACM Digital Library and distributed in digital form to conference attendees. ACM will send you a copyright form, which you have to complete. Once completed, ACM will provide you the copyright information to be put into your critique. You can then submit the camera-ready version (including the copyright notice) through the submission system.

Presentation Format

Upon acceptance, you will be invited to present your critique at the conference (in person, or remotely). The exact format and duration will be determined when the program is finalised.

Chairs: Ida Larsen-Ledet, Søren Pold, Winnie Soon

Contact: critiques@nordichi2022.org

What are critiques?

Critiques are distinguished from regular papers by having as their primary aim to instill reflection, provoke discussion, and build bridges across schools of thinking. Critiques rest primarily on arguments rather than evidence, are more open to speculation than other submission categories, and do not focus particularly on substantial tangible advances.

What is critical writing?

Critical writing builds on the literary tradition of critiques. In this way of writing, the writer attempts to learn about and advance thoughts on a topic through analysis, exploration, and theoretical reflection. This form of writing is visionary and speculative, rather than evidence-based, and it allows for informed and critically argued value judgments.

What is a critical artifact?

An artifact may be an interactive device, a piece of digital or analog artwork, a website, or electronic new media, to name a few examples. Possibilities are not limited to this list and we welcome unexpected artifacts. A critical artifact achieves the same things as critical writing, i.e. provoking reflection and exploring possibilities through critical speculation/intervention, but does so through other means than writing, such as critical making, or by combining writing with a particular medium of expression.

How are critiques reviewed?

The submissions will be double-blind peer reviewed. Submissions will primarily be assessed on A) their ability to critically examine a topic, inspire, and/or spark debate and reflection, and B) how well they are made relevant to the conference theme: “Participative computing for sustainable futures.” We encourage submissions that are provocative, assertive, or speculative, and that are creative in their expression.

Submission Format

It will be possible to submit two forms of critiques (or a combination of the two):

Critical writing

Critical artifact 

When creating a submission, authors will be instructed to indicate which form of critique they are submitting. The term “authors” is used broadly, to also refer to artists, makers, and others whose contributions may be centered around artifacts rather than writing. Accepted writings will appear in the main proceedings while abstracts submitted for accepted artifacts will appear in the extended abstracts.

Requirements for critical writings

Writings must be no longer than 8000 words. Writings must be submitted as a PDF, using either the ACM single-column template or the C&C pictorial template. Should authors wish to submit using an alternative format, we ask that they submit their writing as an artifact (see below). This will require the submission of an abstract that follows the ACM single-column template but will allow the main piece of writing to be in an alternative format.

Each submission must include a layperson’s summary. See instructions below.

Authors are welcome to include supplemental material such as images and video (maximum length: 5 minutes). Supplemental material can be included by linking to it on a website/online platform or uploading it in the field for supplemental material. Submissions must be anonymized. Authors must ensure that all material is anonymized, including their identity on any repositories or content hosting platforms. All uploaded content (PDF(s) + any images, videos, and other material) must be less than 100 MB in total.

Requirements for critical artifacts

The submission must include a written abstract that describes the artifact. Abstracts must be no longer than 500 words. Abstracts must be submitted as a PDF, using the ACM single-column template.

Each submission must include a layperson’s summary. See instructions below.

The artifact must be clearly documented/demonstrated through images and/or video. If the artifact has “live” elements such as interactivity or programmed behavior, the submission must include video documentation. The author(s) can either link to the video on a website/online platform or upload it as part of the submission. The video must be no longer than 5 minutes.

If it is feasible to additionally include the artifact itself in the submission, authors are welcome to submit it in a zip file or using a link to a website or an external repository/hosting service.

Authors are welcome to include additional images and video (maximum length: 5 minutes) or other supplemental material. Such material can be included by linking to it on a website/online platform or uploading it in the field for supplemental material.

Submissions must be anonymized. Authors must ensure that all material is anonymized, including their identity on any repositories or content hosting platforms. All uploaded content (PDF(s) + any images, videos, and other material) must be less than 100 MB in total.

What if I don't want to use the ACM single column format for my submission?

Should authors wish to submit using an alternative format, we ask that they use the artifact category. This will require the submission of an abstract that follows the ACM single-column template, but will allow the main submission (whether containining visuals or beign purely text) to be in an alternative format.

Layperson’s summary

Each submission must include a layperson’s summary of its contribution. This summary must address a non-specialist audience and be written in plain, non-technical language, and must include a title in plain language. The summary should NOT outline the submission in the style of an abstract - it should, instead, focus on summarizing the main point and what difference the author hopes to make through their writing/artifact.

The layperson’s summary must be 100-250 words in length. Authors might find inspiration by looking at these showcases in the ACM Kudos gallery:

• “How did TikTok beat the President of the United States?”
• “The Interplay between Personal Relationships & Shoulder Surfing Mitigation” (in particular “What is it about?”)
• “Leveraging Bias Conscious Artificial Intelligence to Increase STEM Graduates Among Underrepresented Populations” (in particular “What is it about?” and “Perspectives”)

The layperson’s summary can be submitted as a PDF or txt file. No particular template is required