Special issue CFP: Quality of Speculation in HCI (Interacting with Computers) - Ext. abstract DL 17 Sept

Interacting with Computers (Oxford University Press journal) invites submissions for a special issue on:

**** Quality of Speculation in HCI ****.

Vision and Scope:
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Recent work in HCI has increasingly examined speculative design and related approaches as research practices, focusing on their use, their role in generating reflection and insight, and their evaluation. Yet the field still lacks shared understanding of what makes speculative work “good,” with notions of quality varying across different speculative practices, traditions, and contexts.

This Special Issue asks how quality is shaped by specific contexts, purposes, and audiences. We invite contributions that examine how quality is constructed, interpreted, and evaluated in practice, and that explore when, where, and under what conditions shared understandings of quality can emerge. The submissions do not need to assume that quality can be captured through fixed or universal criteria. Instead, contributions can present an epistemological/ontological position and discuss quality from that angle.

With these efforts, this Special Issue aims to further develop work on the quality of speculative design in HCI by:

* Providing a more precise vocabulary for discussing the quality of speculative design and design futuring
* Advancing understanding of how speculative work can be critically examined and evaluated
* Bridging perspectives across different speculative practices, contexts, and epistemologies
* Encouraging reflection on both successful and unsuccessful speculative work

Key research themes & Submission guidelines & Additional information:
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https://academic.oup.com/iwc/pages/call-for-papers-special-issue-the-quality-of-speculation-in-human-computer-interaction

Important dates:
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* 17 September 2026: Extended abstracts of up to 500 words (excluding references, no formatting requirements) outline the paper and its contribution, to be submitted to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
* 8 October 2026: Notification of invitation to submit a full manuscript
* 17 December 2026: Deadline for full manuscript submissions

Guest editors:
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Ronda Ringfort-Felner (University of Siegen)
Judith Dörrenbächer (University of Siegen)
Marc Hassenzahl (University of Siegen)
Richmond Y. Wong (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Chris Elsden (University of Edinburgh)
Antti Salovaara (Aalto University)

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