Liz has written an excellent summary of Ubicomp 2005, warts and all. I admit there's some logrolling here, since I get namechecked in it (and, well, we live together and stuff), but I think it's a very articulate analysis of the conference and says everything I would have said. Although I had a great time at the conference, there was something missing, which Liz accurately identifies:
Especially in the systems-oriented long papers, what’s often missing is “design” – in the definition of design as a process that creates artifacts integrated into human contexts. I tend to prefer the shorter and less weighty formats such as posters and workshop papers. Paradoxically, this very lightness makes posters and workshops more immediately relevant and often more compelling. Unlike the longer papers, they don’t wear out their welcome.
