Much work in international economic and community development emphasizes empowering host communities in designing and controlling development projects. Many development projects make use of ICTs as part of their plan. However, there have been few explicit efforts to bring together the international economicdevelopment, user centered design and interaction design communities to find ways of designing more appropriate and effective solutions that truly meet local needs. The aim of this workshop is to initiate such a dialogue.

Topics of interest include:
* experiences of interaction design in developing countries or with underserved populations;
* participatory methods in economicand community development projects;
* cultural factors in designing for economicand community development;
* innovative techniques for engaging users in developing world contexts;
* creating solutions that are sustainable in context.

The workshop will provide a forum to exchange experiences, explore differences between developed and developing world contexts, develop new partnerships, and learn from each other's experiences. Outcomes from the workshop will be reported in the journal Information Technology and International Development (http://mitpress.mit.edu/ITID). In addition, based upon submissions and the review process we expect to publish a special issue of the journal on the workshop themes.

To participate in this workshop at CHI 2008, please submit a 2 page position paper describing your experience , findings or interests relevant to the themes of the workshop.
Deadline for submissions is 12th January, 2007. Notification of acceptance by 1st Feb 2007. Papers can be submitted by email to Andy Dearden at A.M.Dearden@shu.ac.uk

→ Download this call for participation in PDF format.

→ Download an application for funding in DOC format.