Research Papers

We invite submissions in all areas of Human–Computer Interaction. Held every two years, NordiCHI is one of the key venues for HCI research in Europe, bringing together an international community of researchers and practitioners.

The NordiCHI 2026 theme is Pulse – exploring the energy that drives us. Pulse reflects both the dynamic highs and calm lows of life, keeping us thriving, and will inspire keynotes and discussions throughout the conference. Vaasa is known for both its vibrant energy industry as the Nordic energy cluster and the tranquillity of its surrounding nature and UNESCO World Heritage site. Vaasa provides a fitting backdrop for reflecting on the future of HCI.

The conference welcomes the full breadth of HCI research, including contributions that advance theory, methodology, technology, or practice. NordiCHI has traditionally highlighted human-centred, values-driven work that bridges design inquiry and empirical study, often engaging societal contexts (e.g., health, education, sustainability, fairness), participatory methods, and critical/reflective perspectives. Technical work is welcome when it meaningfully engages interaction (e.g., explainability, HRI, XR, toolkits) and is supported by appropriate user-centred evidence; purely algorithmic or systems papers without a substantive HCI contribution are typically out of scope. We welcome submissions addressing the conference theme, however it is by no means a requirement to do so.

Important Dates (Anywhere on Earth)

  • Abstract & metadata: April 16, 2026
  • Full paper deadline: April 23, 2026
  • Author notifications: June 30, 2026
  • Camera-ready deadline: August 7, 2026

Topics of Interest

We welcome contributions across the breadth of HCI, including but not limited to:

  • Collaborative Technologies: collaborative systems, cooperation through computers, crowdsourcing studies and tools, domains applications (e.g., health and wellbeing, education and lifelong learning, future of work, etc.)
  • Design & Interaction: interaction techniques and modalities, visualization, VR/AR, tangible and embodied interaction, play and game experiences, design theories and methods.
  • Human–Centred AI: generative AI and creativity support, explainability and transparency, human-in-the-loop and interactive machine learning, trust, control, and evaluation of AI-mediated experiences.
  • Societal Challenges & Values: sustainability, accessibility, inclusion and diversity, digital wellbeing, privacy and security, critical and justice oriented HCI.
  • Systems, Toolkits & Computational Interaction: engineering interactive systems, toolkits and infrastructure, fabrication and novel devices, input/output sensing, model-driven interaction.
  • Understanding People: studies of behaviour, cognition, perception, and experience using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods; lab, in-the-wild, and auto/participatory ethnographies.
  • User Experience: methodological innovations and reproducibility, visualization and visual analytics, domain applications (e.g., mobility, smart environments).

Papers 

We welcome both longer papers that present substantial contributions and shorter papers that communicate significant advances concisely. For readability and fairness, submissions must not exceed 12,000 words (excluding references). The length of a paper should be proportional to its contribution, and shorter papers are equally welcome. 

Accepted papers are considered archival and will appear in the ACM Digital Library. At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the conference, attend in person, and present the paper onsite. 

Review Process

Research papers undergo dual anonymous peer review. Each paper will be reviewed by at least two external reviewers and one Associate Chair (2AC), with a meta-review by another Associate Chair (1AC). NordiCHI uses a single-cycle review; notifications are final, and there is no rebuttal stage.

The 1AC will manage the review process and recruit two external reviewers to assess each submission that undergoes full review. The 2AC will provide a full review like the external reviewers. External reviewers should have sufficient expertise on the topic of the paper(s) they are asked to review. As part of the review process Papers Chairs reserve the right to get additional input from other ACs for any paper so as to make the best decision for acceptance. External reviewers will be asked to provide a detailed review of the submission and will be asked to provide a recommendation following six choices:

  • Definite accept: I would argue strongly for accepting this paper.
  • Probably accept: I would argue for accepting this paper.
  • Borderline, but somewhat closer ‘accept’ than ‘reject’.
  • Borderline, but somewhat closer ‘reject’ than ‘accept’.
  • Probably reject: I would argue for rejecting this paper.
  • Definite reject: I would argue strongly for rejecting this paper.

1AC, 2AC, and the external reviewers will engage in a discussion to come to a consensus about the paper based on their recommendations. Final decisions are made in the PC meeting.

How to Submit

Please see Submission Guidelines.

Important note to authors about ACM´s new open access publishing model

ACM has introduced a new open access publishing model for the International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS). Authors based at institutions that are not yet part of the ACM Open program and do not qualify for a full geographic waiver will be required to pay an article processing charge (APC) to publish their ICPS article in the ACM Digital Library. To determine whether or not an APC will be applicable to your article, please follow the detailed guidance here: https://www.acm.org/publications/icps/author-guidance.

Further information may be found on the ACM website, as follows:

Full details of the new ICPS publishing model: https://www.acm.org/publications/icps/faq
Full details of the ACM Open program: https://www.acm.org/publications/openaccess

Please direct all questions about the new model to icps-info@acm.org.

Chairs

Duncan Brumby, University College London
Teresa Hirzle, University of Copenhagen

nordichi2026papers@uwasa.fi

Committee

Danial Amin, University of Vaasa
Stephanie Arevalo Arboleda, Birmingham City University
Miroslav Bachinski, University of Bergen
Claire Bailey Ross, University of Portsmouth
Cristina Bosco, Indiana University Bloomington
Mila Bujić, Tampere University
Sandy Claes, KU Leuven
Anna Croon, Umeå University
Yngve Dahl, NTNU
Grace Eden, Alliance University
Lina Eklund, Uppsala University
Ali Farooq, University of Strathclyde
Daniel Fernández Galeote, Tampere University
Vittoria Frau, Aarhus University
Jens Gerken, TU Dortmund University
Mareike Glöss, Malmö University
Ramyah Gowrishankar, Aalto University
Erik Grönvall, IT University of Copenhagen
Georgina Guillen, Tampere University
Jan Gulliksen, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Jukka Häkkinen, Novia University of Applied Sciences
Jo Herstad, University of Oslo
Jinghui Hu, Lancaster University
Tom Jenkins, IT University of Copenhagen
Rikke Hagensby Jensen, Aarhus University
Ilkka Kaate, University of Turku
Kirsikka Kaipainen, Tampere University
Pelin Karaturhan, IT University of Copenhagen
Agnieszka Kitkowska, Jönköping University
Antti Knutas, LUT University
Janin Koch, Inria Centre at the University of Lille
Veronika Krauß, Ansbach University of Applied Sciences
Tuomo Kujala, University of Jyväskylä
Andrés Lucero, Aalto University
Yong Ma, University of Bergen
Pavel Manakhov, Lancaster University
Pavel Okopnyi, University of Bergen
Sofia Ouhbi, Uppsala University
Eleftherios Papachristos, NTNU
Max Pascher, TU Dortmund University
Emmi Pouta, Aalto University
Aini Putkonen, Apple
Argenis Ramirez Gomez, University of Portsmouth
Sonja Rattay, Interdisciplinary Transformation University
Antti Salovaara, Aalto University
Benjamin Schwarz, Braunschweig University of Art
Danqing Shi, University of Cambridge
Joongi Shin, Aalto University
Veronica Sundstedt, Blekinge Institute of Technology
Jonathan Sutton, University of Copenhagen
Dag Svanæs, NTNU
Leena Ventä-Olkkonen, University of Oulu
Torben Wallbaum, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences
Greta Warren, University of Copenhagen
Nina Wenig, University of Bremen
Yuchong Zhang, KTH Royal Institute of Technology