UMD papers recognized with awards at CHI 2013

Two submissions from the University of Maryland have won Best Paper Awards at the upcoming CHI 2013 conference:

• Mind the Theoretical Gap: Interpreting, Using, and Developing Behavioral Theory in HCI Research
  E. Hekler (Arizona State Univ., USA), P. Klasnja, J. Froehlich, M. Buman
  Abstract: Are you trying to use behavioral theory in your work? Our paper will help by providing a context and organizing framework for interpreting, using, and developing behavioral theory.
  
  
• Analyzing User-Generated YouTube Videos to Understand Touchscreen Use by People with Motor Impairments
  L. Anthony (Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA), Y. Kim, L. Findlater
  Abstract: To inform accessible touchscreen design, we analyzed 187 YouTube videos depicting people with physical disabilities interacting with mobile touchscreen devices. We report on challenges observed and user-initiated adaptations being made.

In addition, UMD was also honored with two Best Paper Honorable Mention Awards:

• Age-Related Differences in Performance with Touchscreens Compared to Traditional Mouse Input
  L. Findlater(Univ. of Maryland, USA), J. Froehlich, K. Fattal, J. Wobbrock, T. Dastyar
  Abstract: We compared performance of older and younger adults on a range of desktop and touchscreen tasks. The touchscreen reduced the performance gap between the two groups relative to the desktop.
  
  
• Predicting Users’ First Impressions of Website Aesthetics With a Quantification of Perceived Visual Complexity and Colorfulness
  K. Reinecke (Harvard Univ., USA), T. Yeh, L. Miratrix, Y. Zhao, R. Mardiko, J. Liu, K. Gajos
  Abstract: We collected colorfulness, complexity, and overall visual appeal ratings from 548 volunteers. Utilizing these data, we developed models that accurately predict perceived visual complexity and perceived colorfulness in websites based on computational image statistics.