Mobile HCI 2004: Experience and Reflection.

This article presents the author's experience and reflection on the Mobile HCI 2004 conference, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland from September 13-16. Mobile HCI is rapidly becoming one of the prime conferences on human-computer interaction (HCI) with mobile technology. The conference, chaired by Mark Dunlop of the University of Strathclyde and Stephen Brewster of Glasgow University, gathered a heterogeneous group of academic and practitioners that has acquired a unique identity over the past five years. While still smaller than other related conferences such as Interact or Ubicomp, Mobile HCI has grown significantly. The 2004 conference hosted 67 contributions, including full papers, short papers, and posters, and more than 220 participants. The growth of attendee and submission numbers shows both that mobile computing research is becoming increasingly accessible to a broader range of academics and that industrial players, especially manufacturers, are increasingly integrating HCI into their design processes. The most represented regions were Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia, German-speaking countries, North America, and East Asia. This confirms that the conference's character is eminently European, yet open to contributions from all over the world.