A Design Continuum For Autographic Sonification,
2026
Independent, Graz, Austria
A Design Continuum For Autographic Sonification, Kajetan Enge, Dietmar Offenhuber, Sara Lenzi
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Sonification and visualization practices usually take "data" as a given, without considering the complex ways in which data is collected or the complexity of the phenomena that data represents. Autographic design is an emerging field approaching this issue by starting the design process before data collection with the phenomenon itself, treating data as a material trace rather than an abstract reference. An autographic display uses a phenomenon's self-inscription, rather than its mediation and representation in symbolic encodings. While the existing framework of autographic design has a strong relation to the visual domain, a phenomenon may also reveal itself through its …
From Citizen Innovation Labs To Social Transformation: Analysing The Conectando Cozinhas Case Through The Lens Of Infrastructuring,
2026
Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, Brazil
From Citizen Innovation Labs To Social Transformation: Analysing The Conectando Cozinhas Case Through The Lens Of Infrastructuring, Laryssa Tarachucky, Diego Hernando Florez Ayala, Aksel Ersoy
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Citizen Innovation Labs (LabICs) have emerged as experimental infrastructures for collective design and civic transformation. Operating in close partnership with public institutions, these laboratories create collaborative spaces where urban publics co-design responses to issues of shared concern. Yet, little is known about how these laboratories operate as long-term supports for community-driven initiatives beyond their initial phases of experimentation or incubation. This paper investigates how LabICs mobilise processes of infrastructuring to support broader cycles of social transformation by analysing the case of Conectando Cozinhas, a citizen-led initiative developed within LabIC Novale (Brazil). Using a retrospective qualitative case study, the research reconstructs …
Sketch-Based Ai: How Ai-Influence Levels Shape Perceived Authorship And Creativity In The Design Process,
2026
North Carolina State University, United States of America
Sketch-Based Ai: How Ai-Influence Levels Shape Perceived Authorship And Creativity In The Design Process, Byungsoo Kim, Haeyoung Kim
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Understanding perceived authorship and creativity is critical for novice designers to improve efficiency and engagement in human-AI collaboration. This study explores how different AI influence levels (100% = high human-drawing influence, 0% = low drawing influence) affect perceived authorship and creativity, and how these levels relate to design intents that shape authorship and support the process-oriented nature of creativity. Vizcom workshop post-surveys measured perceived authorship and creativity (N=45). Regarding authorship, when high AI influence (low authorship threshold), basic resemblance to the sketch was enough; when low AI influence, participants expected signature cues and minimal AI changes. Regarding perceived creativity, high …
Cultivating A Teaching Mindset: Persuasive Strategies For Developing Design Thinking Skills,
2026
National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
Cultivating A Teaching Mindset: Persuasive Strategies For Developing Design Thinking Skills, Min-Yuan Ma, Eric Chen-F Hsieh, Pin-He Huang, Jia-Chi Chih
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This study proposes a cognitive framework for design thinking education that translates expert-derived strategies into systematic, classroom-ready moves. Drawing on in-depth interviews with experienced design thinking educators in higher education, a reflective thematic analysis surfaced seven themes and sixteen persuasive strategies from teaching practices developed through university-level design thinking workshops and courses: simplifying processes, bridging gaps, constructing repetitive experiences, providing contextual empowerment, adding evaluation criteria, changing perspectives, and introducing breakthroughs. Three teaching mindsets anchor these strategies: lowering the entry threshold, expanding engagement with complex, public-facing issues, and foregrounding authentic, first-hand experience. Integrating these strategies with pedagogical content knowledge supports plural …
Make It So(Und): Speculative Sonic Metaphors As Boundary Objects For Design Research,
2026
Carleton University, Canada
Make It So(Und): Speculative Sonic Metaphors As Boundary Objects For Design Research, Kc Collins
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper investigates how speculative sound design can employ metaphors as boundary objects to mediate shared understanding across users and designers. Because sound is ephemeral and difficult to describe, participants often rely on metaphor, drawing on nature, human behaviour, or emotion. We surveyed 72 people online to respond to textual prompts with descriptions of futuristic sound objects, and analysed their responses using several methods. We present results and outline suggestions for re-deploying sonic metaphors as design prompts, and discuss their potential to support sound design.
The Meandering Practitioner: When Research Emerges In Relational Resistance And Intentional Ambiguity,
2026
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong S.A.R. (China)
The Meandering Practitioner: When Research Emerges In Relational Resistance And Intentional Ambiguity, Markus Wernli, Kam-Fai Chan, Jonathan Yu, Josh Wolper
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper theorizes meandering as a dispositional heuristic in design research, foregrounding how researchers can encounter complexity through nuanced, situated journeying. Drawing on the case of SoilTrust nutrient-cycling praxis in Hong Kong, the study identifies four key dispositions – nimble resistance, contextual reasoning, temporal suppleness, and deliberate ambiguity – that enable practitioners to respond to structural challenges with humility, curiosity, and strategic indirection. Rather than pursuing fixed goals, meandering researchers cultivate relational awareness, embrace uncertainty, and reconfigure material and social systems through iterative, practice-led inquiry. Anchored in agential realism and indirect action, meanderability reframes design as a life-embedded mode of …
Cooking Rush: Designing And Evaluating A Cross-Cultural Dietary Board Game For Chinese International Students Through Research Through Design,
2026
Independent Scholar
Cooking Rush: Designing And Evaluating A Cross-Cultural Dietary Board Game For Chinese International Students Through Research Through Design, Yuan Qin
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This study addresses the dietary challenges faced by Chinese international students by developing Cooking Rush, a serious card-based board game. Using a Research through Design paradigm and Social Practice Theory, the project integrates Western nutrition with Traditional Chinese Medicine energetics. The game translates cultural beliefs into a quantified Balance of Thermal Intake (BTI) mechanism. Evaluation results from 14 participants show improved confidence in resource management and internalised dietary knowledge. Furthermore, the intervention shifts the perception of cooking from a burden to a practice of self-care. This research provides a scalable framework for cross-cultural health interventions by aligning local food logics …
Biodiverse Design And The Ethics Of Bioempathy In Practice,
2026
Pennsylvania State University, United States of America
Biodiverse Design And The Ethics Of Bioempathy In Practice, Delphine Lewandowski
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper investigates biodiverse design as a practice through which environmental ethics can inform architectural production. Drawing on the concept of bioempathy—understood as the recognition of the intrinsic value of the biotic community—it develops an ethical and operational framework for guiding design reasoning. This framework is then applied to a reflective analysis of biodiverse wall prototypes developed by the author with an interdisciplinary team, used as an empirical ground to examine how ecological intentions were translated into material and spatial decisions, and how observations of plant establishment and spontaneous colonisation contribute to reassessing the assumptions embedded in those intentions. The …
Designing For Generativity And Wellbeing: Insights From Visitors At The Hong Kong Space Museum,
2026
Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Designing For Generativity And Wellbeing: Insights From Visitors At The Hong Kong Space Museum, Cerella Yueru Chen, Amy Law, Jiarui Cao, Xun Li
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper investigates how generativity, understood as showing care and contributing to the next generation's lives, shapes visitors’ engagement, experience, and psychological wellbeing in the Hong Kong Space Museum. We conducted fifteen semi-structured interviews to explore how generativity unfolds in museum interactions. Building on Fan and Luo (2022), we extend the generativity model by introducing bidirectional and recursive relationships among generativity, engagement, and experience. Our findings show that generativity can be understood as a designable, relational and temporal pathway to wellbeing. Thematic analysis further reveals that different types of installations scaffold generativity and wellbeing through distinct design features such as …
Evaluating Visual Accessibility Of Ai-Generated Interfaces,
2026
University of Sydney, Australia, Australia
Evaluating Visual Accessibility Of Ai-Generated Interfaces, Mutong Rao, Jody Watts
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Large Language Models are increasingly integrated into UX design. However, their effectiveness in meeting visual accessibility requirements is under-explored. This research evaluates ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot to generate visually accessible interfaces using a Research through Design methodology. First, an accessibility scoring system was created from the Apple, WCAG 2.2, and Microsoft accessibility guidelines. Second, design experiments were conducted using ChatGPT and Copilot, and the outputs were evaluated using the new scoring system. Findings indicate ChatGPT and Copilot can respond effectively to well-structured prompts, but they demonstrate low competence in executing visually accessible interfaces. This research makes two valuable contributions to …
Beyond Binaries Of Reconciliation: Working Across Knowledge Systems At The Cultural Interface,
2026
RMIT University, Australia
Beyond Binaries Of Reconciliation: Working Across Knowledge Systems At The Cultural Interface, Georgina Nolan, Nicola St John
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Designing and researching across multiple knowledge systems requires vigilant negotiation, reflexivity and care. These dynamics are heightened on the lands now called Australia, where settler-colonial researchers (such as the authors) engage with diverse Indigenous knowledge systems. We examine how our own ways of being and knowing come into relation with others, surfacing tensions that shape the role of pluriversal design within our situated practices. We critique reconciliation narratives that risk reaffirming colonial hierarchies by positioning reconciliation as a destination, or a reconciling between binaries of Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledges. We argue, instead, for embracing generative tensions as openings for dialogue. …
Friend And Foe: Characterising (Counter)Productive Prompting Of Generative Ai To Supplement Exploratory Sketching,
2026
Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Friend And Foe: Characterising (Counter)Productive Prompting Of Generative Ai To Supplement Exploratory Sketching, Charlie Ranscombe, Linus Tan, Wendy Zhang, Nabila Afif
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Text-to-image Generative AI (T2I GenAI) tools have become commonplace in design practice and education, raising important questions about their role alongside exploratory sketching. This article explores T2I GenAI as an emerging visualisation modality that alters how designers create and explore ideas. Specifically, we examine the acute tensions between GenAI’s near-instantaneous, high-fidelity, text-driven outputs versus the ambiguous, iterative, and reflective act of traditional sketching. We report on a one-day ideation activity by 13 student designers, in which we analysed 1292 prompts, generated imagery, alongside reflective survey data to uncover patterns of productive and counterproductive T2I GenAI use. We outline prompting behaviours …
Towards A More Sustainable Industrial Design Sketch Modelling Practice: An Overview Of Associated Materials And Their Life Cycles,
2026
University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Towards A More Sustainable Industrial Design Sketch Modelling Practice: An Overview Of Associated Materials And Their Life Cycles, Mario Cvetkoski, Hossein Najaf Zadeh, Thomas Woods
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This study supports the shift towards more sustainable industrial design sketch modelling (the making of expressive models for problem solving) by detailing the material needs and sustainability concerns that result from the practice’s disposable nature. This transition also provides another opportunity to embed sustainable thinking throughout industry, as sketch modelling is taught early in a designer’s education. This study is centred around an overview of the literature on the roles and life cycles of commonly associated materials, with a focus on paper derivatives, polystyrene and polyurethane foam. The polymer foams, in particular, can result in widespread environmental harm, from their …
Frame Excavation: Revealing And Critiquing Existing Problem Frames To Improve Migrants’ Awareness Of Public Services,
2026
Tampere University, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Finland
Frame Excavation: Revealing And Critiquing Existing Problem Frames To Improve Migrants’ Awareness Of Public Services, Amir Pakpour, Ville-Veikko Minkkinen, Parnian Ghaderiazad, Oğuz Buruk, Thomas Olsson
DRS Biennial Conference Series
The prowess of design to reframe complex sociotechnical issues has made it appealing for tackling wicked problems faced by the public sector. Effective reframing requires an understanding of the problem frames in use and their shortcomings to avoid past mistakes. Literature on this groundwork for reframing is sparse. To address this gap, we report a case study on assisting migrants’ awareness of public services, involving interviews with service coordinators working in a Finnish municipality and migrants, and a co-design workshop to surface assumedly problematic frames. We then concretized the frames through an investigation of solution artifacts, encompassing in-person services, websites, …
Translating Nature's Emotions: Building An Affective Design Framework Rooted In Classical Chinese Poetry,
2026
School of Design, Hunan University, Changsha, China
Translating Nature's Emotions: Building An Affective Design Framework Rooted In Classical Chinese Poetry, Yi Li, Shuzhan Ji, Yifan Chen, Wanhao Luo, Yuyan Ma, Yu Gao, Xinming Zhou
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Current human-computer interaction and more-than-human design increasingly emphasize affective experiences emerging from the dynamic interplay between humans and their environments. However, research in this domain remains largely anthropocentric, often translating non-human emotions in anthropomorphic terms and thereby neglecting their distinctive affective expressions and relational nuances. This paper draws on classical Chinese poetry, renowned for its profound sensory and affective engagement with nature, to analyze how nonhuman entities convey complex emotions such as tranquility, melancholy, and transience. Using grounded theory, we systematically code and categorize the representations of Shui (水, Water), flora, and fauna in poetic excerpts that convey specific affective …
Redesigning Transition Arenas For Power-Sensitive Participation,
2026
Aalto University, Finland
Redesigning Transition Arenas For Power-Sensitive Participation, Tomi Rantanen, Tatu Marttila, Idil Gaziulusoy
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Transition arenas are organised to facilitate and guide sociotechnical system change. The organisers invite identified stakeholders in the set problem area to design desirable futures and develop transition pathways. Typically, a transition arena is organised by a transition team who wield power and authority in the transition context. Our broader research project develops transition arenas to facilitate a transition towards gender-equal futures in the Finnish music industry. This research-through-design study investigates how transition arenas can be organised in alignment with intersectional feminist values, specifically focusing on the establishment phase of the process. Through workshops with industry stakeholders, we explore avenues …
Integrating Attachment And Social Identity Theories In The Co-Design Of A Hokkien Nursery Rhymes App,
2026
Griffith University, Australia
Integrating Attachment And Social Identity Theories In The Co-Design Of A Hokkien Nursery Rhymes App, Kaiqing Chen
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This study presents the co-design of Hokkien Nursery Rhymes, an educational app supporting intergenerational language learning and cultural transmission. Grounded in Attachment Theory, the design promotes parent–child co-use to strengthen emotional bonds and create a secure, trusting learning atmosphere. Social Identity Theory informs the app’s cultural framing, reinforcing children’s sense of belonging to their linguistic and cultural heritage. Using participatory methods creative workshops with children and interviews with families from diverse sociocultural backgrounds—the study translated insights into tangible design features: emotionally responsive virtual companions, collaborative parent–child tasks, culturally meaningful narratives, reward mechanisms, and personalized audio from caregivers. These elements foster …
Agency In The In-Between: A Reflexive Civic Design Inquiry Into Agency Drift,
2026
Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Netherlands, The
Agency In The In-Between: A Reflexive Civic Design Inquiry Into Agency Drift, Saskia Pouwels, Koen Van Turnhout, Gabriele Ferri
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Citizen participation initiatives often struggle to engage diverse communities meaningfully. 'In-between' spaces are celebrated as sites where power asymmetries can be renegotiated, yet this spatial metaphor obscures critical temporal dynamics. Through reflexive analysis of a ten-month design justice collaboration with Amsterdam's Stedelijk Team Participatie, this paper examines how temporal positioning shapes agency strategies within participatory processes. Applying temporal-relational agency theory, we identify a phenomenon we term "agency drift", the multidirectional movement across agency strategies as participants navigate institutional and community temporal orientations. Our findings show that making these temporal dynamics visible transforms in-between spaces from sites where drift simply happens …
Living With Multimorbidity: How Design Might Support Older Adults Use Of Health Technology For Self-Management.,
2026
Loughborough University, United Kingdom
Living With Multimorbidity: How Design Might Support Older Adults Use Of Health Technology For Self-Management., Zhuoning Fu, Emilene Zitkus, Sharon Cook, Luke Harmer
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Older adults face complex challenges in managing multimorbidity. As the ageing population increases, digital health technology (DHT) offers significant potential to address these challenges while supporting independent living. However, current research remains largely condition-specific and technology-driven, providing limited insight into how digital health can support older adults with multimorbidity (OAwM) in self-management for independent living. This study investigates how digital health technologies can be inclusively designed to support older adults living with multiple and complex health conditions. Drawing on qualitative inquiries into older adults’ self-management practices, it develops an understanding of the challenges existing in multimorbidity management within independent living …
Human And Nonhuman Collaborators: Written Information And People In The Process Of Detailed Design For Early Career Architects.,
2026
Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
Human And Nonhuman Collaborators: Written Information And People In The Process Of Detailed Design For Early Career Architects., Jim Sloan
DRS Biennial Conference Series
In research published in 1982, Mackinder & Marvin put forward their ‘continuum between written information and experience’ model for decision making in architectural practice. As part of a new research project, ethnographic methods were used to collect data on the detailed design processes adopted by early career architects in two medium sized UK architectural practices. This new data reveals that ‘The Continuum’ model still has relevance four decades later but, to reflect the specifics of detailed design, a wider range of actors need to be acknowledged. This network is established on a project-by-project basis with collaborators enrolled in an ad …
