FutureHCI ’26 Workshop to be hosted by CHCI

The Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech will sponsor and host the national FutureHCI Workshop August 17-18, 2026. The workshop provides opportunities for researchers in human-computer interaction to present preliminary research and receive feedback, propose new analysis methods and ways of understanding data, and discuss future directions for the research community. ACM will be publishing the proceedings of FutureHCI '26 in the ACM Digital Library within its International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS). 

“Networking opportunities will allow attendees to find shared interests and new collaborations, bridge knowledge gaps through diverse perspectives, and stay current on future trends in the broader HCI community,” said Ryan P. McMahan, who is the general chair for FutureHCI ‘26 and director for the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech.

Topics for paper submissions span a wide range. McMahan explained, “The future of HCI encompasses many aspects of daily life, and topics can cover myriad ways humans leverage technology to improve their lives.” 

Technical program committee members from ten universities expect to review papers on research related to accessibility, inclusion and aging, collaborative, social and collective interaction, data, visualization and tools for thought, design methods, practices and futures, ethics, sustainability and social justice in computing. The workshop also aims to explore HCI impacts on health, well-being and care technologies, human-AI interaction and collaboration. The forum presents an opportunity to discuss new interaction paradigms and modalities, privacy, security and trust in interactive systems, understanding people: methods, theory and sensemaking. 

Researchers interested in submitting to the FutureHCI ‘26 Workshop can find submission details on the workshop website. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 22, 2026.

Details for the workshop will continue to emerge as the date approaches, but for researchers hoping to shape the vision of HCI, this is an opportunity to gather in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains on Virginia Tech’s scenic Blacksburg, Virginia campus. The workshop will have free registration and is open to HCI researchers, faculty, and students from any university or organization.