(We don't have design examples for this category yet, but we have a checklist!)
Conference Inclusivity Checklist
Version: Febuary 5th 2021.
The following inclusivity guidelines for conference sites have been developed based on Gendermag session evaluations conducted on ASE’19, ICSE’18, ICPC’21.
Landing/Main Page
- Add a lot more information about the conference topic.
- Make sure the conference logo/image isn’t too big or move it down to the bottom so that it doesn’t take up too much space when first arriving on the landing page.
- Make Call For Paper (CFP) available from the landing page.
- PC list should be ordered so that it's not all men in the beginning/first viewable half of the page.
- Add a link to the “How to submit” page in the landing page (see First Timers).
- Change “Tracks” to “Submitting” in the main menu in the landing page (if the drop downs there are about submitting to the different tracks).
- Have the main menu items ordered based on temporality of tasks (e.g., first have “Submitting” information instead of “Attending” in the menu).
- Track orders should be consistent between the menu and the “How to submit” page.
First Timers
- Add a how-to-submit paper page, modeled after the ASE’19 site.
- Make sure Acronyms (NIER, JSEET, etc.) are spelled out.
- Post sample papers accepted at previous conferences.
- Have a section/page geared towards 1st time submitters (e.g. to help decide to attend).
- For double-blind instructions, you can use: http://chi2019.acm.org/authors/papers/chi-anonymisation-policy/
- Make clear how authors of specific tracks can submit papers (links to the submission site).
Registration
- In the visa and registration pages, add information about whether the cost of registration would be refunded if visa is denied.
- The registration link/button needs to be clearly visible on the screen.
Program (if a large conference like ICSE)
- Need some way to help first timers navigate sessions/understand the program in a lightweight way.
- Advice on how to create your own program (e.g. instructions for navigation, instructions on how to see what others are favoring).
- “Programmer picks”: section of various program committee members saying what they think is going to be particularly interesting at the upcoming site/event.
- More structuring for going through the sessions (e.g., filtering through days, session timeline to see session topics at a glance, filtering through tracks, filtering through industry program).
- Emphasize session titles and not track type.
- Instructions on where to find room (e.g., click on a room and see a map that highlights: location of room? add map to the page?).
- A way to filter through different tracks to make it easier to find sessions.
- Relate D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) to mentoring/social events (e.g, link to mentoring page as in ICSE’18).
General
- Make sure D&I (Diversity and Inclusion plan) is aimed at population that wants to feel included and not too boilerplate
- Have pages organized to facilitate the tasks the user needs to do in that page and not just have to read. Information only text should be condensed.
- Multi-step actions (e.g., registration) should have progress bars.
- Ability to save data/progress when multiple steps are involved, with this information given at the start of the page.