Workshop: 8. The Toughest Web User Interface Challenges

Richard Miller, SoftCom; Keith Rettig, Bellcore

User interfaces on the Web are different from typical software interfaces because, as designers, we are constrained by the rapidly changing technology, Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML), its related tools and a lack of robust widgets. Many of these problems may not be optimally solvable, but currently solutions are clearly less than optimal.

The goal of this workshop is to take the "cocktail napkin" interface discussions that commonly occur at conferences and move them into a structured workshop setting to further our understanding of Web interface issues. Issues such as cross-platform compatibility, navigation complexity, object selection and manipulation, and design considerations are relevant.

This workshop requires and encourages active participation of those involved. It is an exciting and bustling atmosphere with design work going on within each small work group. A user-centered design process for facilitating the workshop's activities and paper prototyping will be used to develop potential interface solutions.

In order to prepare for the workshop, design issues are required to be submitted electronically to the workshop organizers by 1 April 1998. Thus, participants are guaranteed that discussions and the results of the workshop will be current and interesting. It is acceptable to submit a short text-only email if the design issue can be expressed accurately. Solutions are not required or expected in the submission. We are looking, as a group, to solve problems that participants find difficult to translate into a Web solution. Knowledge of HTML is expected from all participants, and exposure to other Web technologies is helpful.

More information is available at http://design.softcom.com/workshops/sigchi98.html.

Contact
Richard Miller
SoftCom, Inc.
200 Middlesex Essex Turnpike, Suite 303
Iselin, NJ 08830 USA
Tel: +1 732 283 590, Ext.612
Email: rmiller@softcom.com