AfriCHI 2023: 4th African Human Computer Interaction Conference.
AfriCHI’23 was organised by a pan-African team, in cooperation with the Association of Computer
Machinery’s Special Interest Group for Computer Human Interaction, ACM SIGCHI. The primary goal was to develop and sustain a unified body and local expertise for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Interaction Design (IxD) in Africa. AfriCHI aimed to broaden international participation of Africans in the practice and study of HCI and Interaction Design, advancing HCI by increasing awareness of designs, tools, inventions, methods, theories, and pedagogies for creating or using technology in Africa. Participants included interaction designers, user experience (UX) practitioners, information architects, software engineers, human factors experts, information systems analysts, and social scientists.
The Cluster presented the following:
Full Papers
A Community-Based Exploration Into Gesture-Driven Locomotion Control in Virtual Reality
- Focus: Gesture-based control in VR applications, especially locomotion.
- Approach: Exploratory study with a rural community in Southern Africa.
- Outcome: Inform design of locomotion control gestures to minimize cybersickness.
- Focus: Integrating community-based co-design and futuring for technology development.
- Context: Projects in Namibia, including a digital wildlife data collection tool and futuring rural green energy use.
- Outcome: Proposes a collective alliance for technology innovation tailored to rural indigenous communities.
Developing an Ethnobotanical Application with and for Ovahimba Communities
- Focus: Digitally preserving ethnobotanical knowledge.
- Approach: Developing a mobile ethnographic app with Kunene indigenous communities.
- Outcome: Empowering communities to collect and curate their traditional plant knowledge, ensuring authenticity and accuracy.
Workshops
What if… Fabulating African HCI Future’s within the Veil of HCI
- Focus: Knowledge creation, power dynamics, and inclusivity in HCI.
- Format: Collaborative interaction without hierarchical structures.
Exploring Ethics and Community Interaction Protocols
- Focus: Ethical co-design practices with indigenous communities.
- Approach: Mixed-method methodologies, promoting culturally sensitive strategies and meaningful co-design collaborations.
Co-Designing Technologies with Children
- Focus: Strategies for global co-design with children.
- Format: Face-to-face interaction, use of Jamboard, and team discussions to develop strategic solutions.
Demo:
Let’s Dance /Hi//Ka//Kusi with Non-Player Character Ju/'Hoansi Women in Virtual Reality
- Focus: Virtual Reality implementation of the traditional Ju/’Hoansi dance, /Hi//ka//kusi.
- Features: 3D graphics and animations for Oculus Quest 2.
- Outcome: Accurate cultural representation, potential for preserving cultural heritage practices.