Evaluating affective interactions

Welcome to this special issue of IJHCS, devoted to the exploration of innovative approaches to evaluation of affective systems. We are delighted to present a wide range of papers, culled from a very large number of submissions, which should provide a rich snapshot of the current state of this growing area to the reader. This collection emerged from a workshop organized at CHI 2005 (see http://www.sics.se/%7Ekia/evaluating_ affective_interfaces/), which was in turn driven by an ongoing European Union initiative devoted to evaluation of affective systems (Work Package 9 of the Humaine Network of Excellence, see http://www.emotion-research. net/ for more information about the broader initiative). The latter has required Höök to wear two hats, both as an active researcher in the area of affective evaluation, and as a curator and gadfly (in her role as head of the Work Package) in helping to shape the overall area of affective evaluation. Isbister initially served as a researcher with the Humaine team, and continues to collaborate with Höök. The 2005 workshop and the present volume reflect our joint efforts at advancing this important area of research and practice, both through particular projects and through the gathering of various efforts and voices toward advancing the field as a whole. We are particularly proud of the great variance in approaches and stances in this special issue, as they indicate that affective evaluation is by no means a homogenous area. Rather it has turned out to be a crucible for the clarification and discovery of motives and assumptions that help us all to better ground ourselves and to clearly communicate what we are looking for and what we hope to achieve with affective systems.