Attending DIS23

Table of contents

ACM Designing Interactive Systems 2023 will take place at Carnegie Mellon University and will include two days of workshops on Monday, July 10, and Tuesday, July 11, in the Tepper School of Business and the main conference on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, July 12-14, in the Jared L. Cohon University Center.

With the return to an in-person conference, we are excited that many tracks, formats, and experiences that have been missing from DIS during the pandemic will return. This year, we’ll reintroduce demos, works in progress, and an arts exhibition to make place in the program to showcase emerging ideas, processes, and expressions. Two days of workshops will also precede the main three-day conference. This — along with the reintroduction of panels and evening events — we hope will create a rich space for conversation, provocation, and debate about the design, research and practice for interactive systems. For those who cannot attend in person, there will be opportunities to present online and engage with conferencegoers virtually.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh in Summer 2023, Nik and Daragh.

General Information for all attendees

Conference Program

The full conference program is available at: https://programs.sigchi.org/dis/2023

Conference Venue

All in-person events for DIS 2023 will be held at the Carnegie Mellon Campus (5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213) An interactive campus map can be found at: https://www.cmu.edu/visit/maps-parking-transportation.html

Conference Communications

As with years past, DIS 2023 will have a Discord available for everyone to join, This will be provided in an email to all registered attendees.

There is a channel for each paper, pictorial, demo, work in progress, and arts. You are welcome to discuss these works in the relevant channel. Authors, we recommend that you check Discord and respond to people engaging with your work.

Additionally, Discord will also have channels for requesting general information (#info) and asking for help (#help). The conference will communicate any important but infrequent information on the #general channel and on the DIS 2023 Twitter and Mastodon. If you are posting about the conference on social media, please use #dis2023 as the hashtag.

Code of Conduct

Everyone attending DIS must abide by the code of conduct: https://dis.acm.org/2023/dis-2023-code-of-conduct

As noted in the code, if you witness or are subject to unacceptable behavior you should inform a person in authority. Those in authority to act in these cases include the general chairs (Nikolas Martelaro and Daragh Byrne – chairs@dis2023.acm.org), the inclusion chairs (Cynthia Bennett and Robin Brewer – inclusion@dis2023.acm.org), or a SIGCHI Cares representatives such as Cayley MacArthur (cayley.macarthur@uwaterloo.ca) who have been designated to handle such complaints at this activity. These individuals can provide information about the process for handling complaints or handling immediate onsite needs.

Attending Workshops

Workshops will be held on the CMU campus on Monday 10th of July and Tuesday 11th of July. The following is information organized for in-person and virtual attendees. Your workshop leads may share additional information; keep an eye out for those emails.

Workshops – In Person

  • Workshop registration will be on CMU’s campus at Tepper’s Simmons B.
  • Directions to the building can be found: https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/directions.html Signage for DIS 2023 will be posted outside and inside the building.
  • Registration is open from 8:00 am–8:45 am both mornings. All attendees should be registered by 8:45 am. SVs will bring attendees to their workshop rooms at 8:45 am sharp for an on-time 9:00 am start to workshops.
  • Breakfast is provided from 8:00 am–8:45 am in Simmons B. To-go boxes will be provided.
  • Lunch is provided from 12:00 pm–2:00 pm in Simmons B. To-go boxes will be provided.
  • Morning coffee will be available from 10:00 am and afternoon coffee (with snacks) will be available from 3:30 pm
  • On Tuesday, from 5:30 pm–7:30 pm, all main conference attendees are invited to attend the Pre-Conference Welcome Reception. Light refreshments will be provided. To be served alcohol, you must be over 21; bring your ID with your date of birth displayed. You will receive a wristband and drink tickets.

Workshops – Virtual

  • Each workshop lead will provide access to information for synchronous and asynchronous participation in workshops.
  • Coordinate with your workshop leads if you plan to attend virtually.

In-person Attendees of the DIS 2023 Conference

All events for DIS 2023 will be held at the Carnegie Mellon Campus (5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA)

Before the conference:

Video teasers and papers will be available a week before the conference. Check the program for this information.

Pre-Conference + Workshop Registration:

Registration is available to all attendees on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th, July. Registration will be on CMU’s campus in the Tepper Building, Simmons B Auditorium, between 8:00 am–5:00 pm. Directions to the building can be found: https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/directions.html. (Look for the DIS 2023 signs along Forbes Ave.)

Welcome Reception:

There will be a welcome reception on Tuesday night from 5:30 pm–7:30 pm in the Tepper Building, Simmons B Auditorium. Come by to register and enjoy some light refreshments. To be served alcohol, you must be over 21; bring your ID with the date of birth displayed.

Main Conference Registration

The main conference registration will be open Wednesday–Friday on the first floor of the Cohon University Center from 8:00 am–5:00 pm.

Wednesday welcome breakfast

Breakfast is provided on Wednesday (8:00 am–9:00 am). Breakfast is not provided Thursday and Friday.

Opening Keynote

The conference will start promptly at 9:00 am in the McConomy Auditorium, with the chairs welcome and the opening keynote by Molly Wright Steenson*.

* Our keynotes will not be streamed to remote attendees. Registered hybrid DIS attendees can join all paper and technical sessions.

Please bring ID if you are over 21 and would like to be served alcohol at the welcome reception(Tuesday) or demo/poster/arts reception (Wednesday). You will receive a wristband and drink tickets.

Conference Presentations

Each accepted paper and pictorial with be presented during one of the conference sessions listed in the conference program. Presenters should prepare a 12 minutes talk. There will be 4 minutes for questions directly following the presentation. Presenters should refer to the guide for Creating Accessible Presentations and Videos for guidance on making your presentation inclusive for all. In person presenters should also consider the experience for remote attendees in their presentation (e.g. avoid talking over videos with sound). Presenters should arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the start of their session to coordinate with session chairs. Coffee breaks and lunches will be an ideal opportunity to test your computer’s connection to the in-room audio-visual equipment. We encourage all presenters to test their equipment early.

Demo/Poster/Arts Reception

The Demo/Poster/Arts reception is Wednesday, July 12, from 6:00 pm–8:00 pm. The event will happen in both the Tepper Building Simmons A/B auditorium and the Studio Theater in the Cohon University Center.

Refreshments, food, and alcohol will be served. Anyone over 21 must provide ID to be served alcohol. You will receive a wristband and drink tickets.

Closing Keynote: The conference will conclude on Friday, July 14, with closing comments and a keynote from Shannon Mattern starting at 4:30 pm and ending at 6:00 pm.

Virtual Attendees of the DIS 2023 Conference:

To create an inclusive forum, DIS 2023 provides hybrid — asynchronous and synchronous — formats for registered attendees to engage.

  • Zoom Webinars will be used to livestream all sessions. Four Zoom webinars will be available (one per track).
    • Registered hybrid DIS attendees can join all paper and technical sessions. 
    • Our keynotes will not be streamed to remote attendees.
    • All webinars will feature live professional captions
  • Discord is available for discussion, questions and synchronous and asynchronous gathering. We invite virtual participants to use Discord to chat and converse during the scheduled coffee breaks and lunches during the conference.
  • Remote participants can take part in the Q&A through the Zoom Webinar Q&A feature.

Remote presenters

Information on remote presentations has been shared by the Technical Program Committee with accepted authors. Refer to this guidance for how to take part in your session.

Before the conference

Video teasers will be available on SIGCHI YouTube and papers will be available on the ACM Digital Library a week before the conference. Check the program for this information. Make sure to update your Zoom to the latest version.

During the conference:

  • Zoom access links and codes will be provided each morning to virtual attendees by 8:00 amET.
  • Zoom links and room codes will not work from day to day; make sure to use the codes provided each morning.
  • Zoom rooms will operate in Webinar mode. Virtual attendees will have access to the Q&A feature and captions. Remote presenters will be invited to join the webinar as a presenter.

While we make every effort to have the best possible experience for virtual attendees, technical issues may occur (bandwidth, latency, etc.). We’ll work to resolve them as quickly as we can, but we cannot guarantee an equivalent experience to in-person attendance.

Other Relevant Information for In-person Attendees

Below is a list of on-campus resources and spaces that may be helpful for you to be aware of. In addition to our student volunteers (SVs), our Access and Inclusion team will be on hand to support your needs. If you have questions, SVs will be wearing a bright yellow t-shirt.

Campus Maps and Parking

https://www.cmu.edu/visit/maps-parking-transportation.html

Finding parent spaces, prayer spaces, and gender-neutral restrooms

The interactive campus map is a great way to find these resources. In addition, a list of spaces and locations is provided below.

All-gender bathrooms (single stall & accessible)

Cohon University Center

  • Floor 1: 179 (Lee lobby, by the brown chairs), 145, 146E, 147
  • Lower level: LL84A and LL84B, past PNC Bank and next to the prayer room Margaret Morrison (Workshops)
  • Floor 1: 125 (across from room 123)
  • Floor 2: 216F
  • Floor 3: 323
  • Floor 4: 425A (across room 405)

Tepper Building (DC, Demo, PWiP, Receptions)

  • Floor 1 1122 (Simmons Auditorium restrooms)
  • Floor 1 1924 (Tepper fitness center restrooms)
  • Floor 2 2203 and 2204 (near the cafe past the wooden steps Floor 2 2408 (across room 2610)
  • Floor 2 2924 (2nd-floor central restrooms)

Note: there are also several multi-stall all-gender bathrooms in these spaces.

Prayer Spaces

  • Multi-denominational Prayer Room: Lower Level Cohon University Center
  • Wright-Rogal Chapel (1st floor, Cohon University Center).

Quiet Spaces

  • Conference Quiet Space: 2nd floor, Cohon University Center, opposite Rangos meeting spaces. Available Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
  • Mindfulness Room: Ground floor, Cohon University Center

Parent Spaces

  • Double Occupancy Lactation Room
    • Room 257 (2nd floor) Cohon University Center. Room features: chair, counter, sink, storage space, and changing table
  • Single Occupancy Lactation Room
    • Floor 3, Room 3924, Tepper
    • Floor 5, Room 5924, Tepper
      Both rooms feature: chair, counter, sink, changing table

Family Support at DIS 2023

DIS 2023 is not able to provide on-campus childcare support due to the constraints of the university.

  • If you would like to bring your child and can accompany them throughout the conference, we can provide them with a complimentary registration and badge. Email DIS registrations@dis2023.acm.org
  • Care.com is a resource for those looking for childcare during the conference. Care.com prescreens qualified caregivers to help eligible individuals find backup emergency care for children and adults.
  • If you have childcare support needs that are unmet, contact registrations@dis2023.acm.org with the subject line [CHILD CARE]

Hotel Information / Update

All hotel room blocks (see registration page) are now full. Both conference hotels have a very limited number of rooms available at standard rates. Contact them directly if you need a room.

A list of other nearby hotels can be found at:

https://www.cmu.edu/parents/events/travel-and-hotels.html

Access and Inclusion Needs / FAQ

The DIS 2023 Access and Diversity Chairs, Cynthia Bennett and Robin Brewer, along with their assistants, Rahaf Alharbi and Franchesca Spektor, have been working to ensure the conference is inclusive and accessible for everyone.

If you have questions, email inclusion@dis2023.acm.org

Q. How do I communicate accessibility needs?

During the registration process, access needs can be specified. If you have provided this information, our access team has reviewed it and will work to make sure you are supported at the conference.

If you have any unmet needs when you arrive at the conference venue, you can call or text the access support number provided to registered attendees or seek out a Student Volunteer or a member of the Access team when you arrive.

We will do our best to accommodate all requests made. While we strive to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, not all requests can be guaranteed. We may not be able to meet requests on short notice and encourage attendees to reach out early where possible.

Q. Will sign language interpretation or captioning be available?

American Sign Language interpretation will be available for both the opening and closing keynote sessions.

Live professional captioning services will be used for all of the main conference sessions at DIS 2023. CART will be available in-room and on the livestream for virtual attendees.

If you have questions or require ASL for other sessions, email inclusion@dis2023.acm.org

Q. How do I find assistance during the conference?

If you need volunteer assistance during the conference, it is recommended that you use the registration form to indicate this ahead of time.

If you have any unmet needs when you arrive at the conference venue, you can call or text the access support number provided to registered attendees or seek out a Student Volunteer or a member of the Access team when you arrive.

If you need or would like to bring an assistant with you to the conference, we can provide a registration and badge for that person. Email registrations@dis2023.acm.org before the conference for support with this.

Q. Will the conference technologies be accessible?

The conference will use accessible digital technologies.
Information on the accessibility features of Zoom and Discord is provided below:

Q. Are the conference spaces accessible?

All event locations are wheelchair-accessible and main entrances have wheelchair-accessible doors. All restrooms are accessible, and there are gender-neutral restrooms available across campus too.

Q. How much walking / movement between buildings will be required?

For workshops on Monday and Tuesday, registration will take place in the Tepper Building of the CMU campus. Workshops will take place in the Margaret Morrison and College of Fine Arts building. These are approximately 0.4 miles or 10 minutes by foot apart.

For the main conference, with the exception of the Wednesday evening reception, all activities will take place within the Cohon University Center. Rangos 1,2, and 3 are directly adjacent on Cohon University Center Floor 2, while the McConomy Auditorium is one floor below Cohon UNiversity Center Floor 1.

Wednesday evenings reception is short 0.2 mile distance (approximately 5 minute walk) from the Cohon University Center.

Q. Will speakers and audience members ask questions using a microphone?

Speakers will use microphones for their presentations.

When questions are asked, attendees will be asked to use a microphone. These microphones will be connected to the CART services and will be included in the in-room and online captions provided. We will also invite session chairs to repeat audience questions into a microphone when it might be helpful.

Q. Is the conference smoke-free?

The Carnegie Mellon campus maintains a smoke-less policy for campus spaces. Smoking is not permitted indoors and outdoors except within designated smoking areas, listed on this map.

https://www.cmu.edu/ehs/Workplace-Construction/smoking-on-campus.html

Q. Is there a designated quiet space at the conference?

Yes, a quiet space is provided on the 2nd floor of the Cohon University Center during the main conference. It is directly adjacent to the Rangos meeting rooms.

Q. Is there any loud music or strong sensory experiences I should be aware of?

Loud music, strobe lighting, and flash photography is not planned to be used within the conference experience. Will will ask attendees and invited speakers not to use flash photography or to wear strong scents.

The arts exhibition will include audio-visual performances and creative works. Spotlights and other strong lighting effects may also be used. Attendees with an aversion to loud noises may wish to avoid the exhibition.

Demonstrations include virtual reality experiences and interactive works that could affect someone with sensory processing sensitivity.

Food at DIS 2023

Workshops (Monday and Tuesday) provide breakfast, lunch, and two coffee breaks. The afternoon coffee break includes light snacks.

Main conference days (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) provide some meals.

  • Lunch is on your own, for each day of the conference. There are many lunch options both on the Carnegie Mellon campus and within a short walk of the campus. A list of on-campus dining options with hours of operation is available online. A long 2-hour lunch break is provided to accommodate this.
  • Wednesday will include a light breakfast between 8:00 am and 9:00 am. There is no coffee break on Wednesday due to the Opening Keynote.
  • A Demo, Arts and PWIP reception will take place at 6:30 pm on Wednesday. Food will be provided. All food provided will have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. All campus-provided food is also nut free. Dietary needs, restrictions, and preferences indicated as part of registration have been shared with our Campus Events team. If you have dietary needs that are not met by the above options, and you have indicated the need during registration, a dedicated meal will be provided for you.

If you have any specific dietary needs that were not indicated during registration:

  • Email registrations@dis2023.acm.org before the conference
  • Contact an on-site events coordinator or call or text the Access Support Number (see attendee email).

COVID Information

All participants have received and agreed to the ACM COVID policy during registration. Carnegie Mellon University is not currently in a COVID mitigation stance. More information can be found here: https://www.cmu.edu/coronavirus/index.html

Face coverings are optional. If you are attending in person and are feeling unwell, we ask that you avoid attending the conference for the safety for everyone. Should this be the case, we can provide virtual attendance options.

In Case of Emergency

Emergencies at the Conference Location

In the event of an emergency, contact the CMU Campus Police at +1 412-268-2323.

Call the Carnegie Mellon University Police Department 24/7 to request emergency response to any safety concern, including summoning Emergency Medical Services. CMU police are located at 300 South Craig Street.

There are also emergency phones and beacons placed throughout the campus:

https://map.concept3d.com/?id=1122#!ct/0,31501,26124,27252,27251?s/

Medical Emergencies and First Aid

If a situation is life threatening, contact the CMU Campus police at: +1 412-268-2323. CMU campus police help direct first responders in cases of medical emergencies.

For basic first aid, the Student Volunteer Lounge will contain first aid kits. However, Student Volunteers are not trained in and not responsible for providing any first aid support or assistance.

Emergencies off campus

Please dial 9-11 for emergencies that occur outside the campus

Local Healthcare providers and resource

A list of local healthcare support, including pharmacies, urgent care facilities, etc, can be found at: https://www.cmu.edu/health-services/health-education-and-resources/local-resources.html#urgent-care