Reframing Design Activism Through Affirmative, Relational And Pluriversal Practices,
2026
RMIT University, Australia
Reframing Design Activism Through Affirmative, Relational And Pluriversal Practices, Rusaila Bazlamit
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper challenges how contemporary design activism has been defined and practised. While Western frameworks have framed activism through countering narrative, raising awareness and social change, this paper proposes a move from a position of countering toward a position of affirming. By looking at the history and current practices of design activism and examining the deficit of the “unheard” paradigm, this paper highlights the limitations of oppositional logics that centre critique over creation. This paper then explores alternative understandings grounded in decolonial, Indigenous epistemologies, and the voices of the global majority. Through examples and case studies, the paper illustrates how …
Material Agencies In Co-Design: A New Materialist Perspective On Workshop Practices,
2026
Adelaide University, Australia
Material Agencies In Co-Design: A New Materialist Perspective On Workshop Practices, Gretchen Coombs, Leah Heiss
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper explores the intersection of new materialism and co-design workshop practices, suggesting that design materials are not passive resources but active agents in collaborative meaning-making and future-making processes. Drawing on new materialist philosophy and care ethics, particularly the work of Barad, Haraway, and Puig de la Bellacasa, we examine how workshop artefacts such as canvases, sticky notes, tactile tools, and other ephemeral materials participate in and shape co-design processes and engender more care-focussed design futures. Through observations of co-design workshops in health futures contexts, we demonstrate how attending to material agency extends the value of workshops and forms sites …
Time Travelers: Bridging Generations In Boston’S Seaport,
2026
Northeastern University, United States of America
Time Travelers: Bridging Generations In Boston’S Seaport, Robiya Sahibnazarova, Annika Kim
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This qualitative study examines social isolation among Boston's elders aged 65 and older. We explored ways to employ service design and interactive encounters to connect different generations around history. Our focus was on Boston’s Seaport—a district shaped by redevelopment and technology. This study involved four interviews with museum professionals, elders, and locals to understand how memories influence community connections. The Time Travelers app features an Interactive Memory Map of stories along with guided walks and collaborative memory threads that encourage intergenerational exchange. Complementing the app, a Seaport boardwalk installation features televisions from different decades displaying memories from each era. Visitors …
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 …
The Fidelity-Flexibility Paradox: Student Creative Experience With Ai-Assisted Visualisation In Design Ideation,
2026
School of Product Design, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
The Fidelity-Flexibility Paradox: Student Creative Experience With Ai-Assisted Visualisation In Design Ideation, Wendy Zhang, Charlie Ranscombe, Euan Coutts
DRS Biennial Conference Series
In design education, AI-assisted visualisation tools are challenging established sketching practices during ideation, influencing how students generate, iterate, and develop ideas. Empirical research on their impact on students’ creative processes is essential to guide pedagogical integration. Guided by the Design Tool Characteristics (DTCs) framework, this study analyses the survey data (n = 55) from two undergraduate design cohorts (2024–2025) using an AI sketch rendering tool during studio-based ideation. Findings reveal a central fidelity–flexibility paradox: AI’s high-fidelity outputs accelerated divergent visualisation, yet its perceived low flexibility and limited control constrained iterative refinement. This tension between rapid generation and limited creative agency …
Design Knowledge Archaeology: Developing The Body Of Design Knowledge And Theory,
2026
Center for Design Research, Mechanical Engineering Design Group, Stanford University, United States of America
Design Knowledge Archaeology: Developing The Body Of Design Knowledge And Theory, Jan Michel Auernhammer, Hamid Bekamiri, Milan Drake
DRS Biennial Conference Series
The development of the foundational body of knowledge is a primary concern of Design Research. This body of knowledge is essential to design education and practice, which shape the human-made environment. This article presents Design Knowledge Archaeology, an emerging approach for systematically rediscovering and developing this foundation by analyzing the evolution of knowledge structures within design discourse. This article outlines and evaluates three distinct methods: the Focused approach, the Discourse approach, and the AI-enabled Semantic Similarity approach. The Focused approach reconstructs the intellectual lineage of a single perspective or recovers marginalized accounts. The Discourse approach maps competing perspectives and discontinuities …
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 …
Does Knowledge In Design Require A Distinct Epistemology? A Critical Rationalist Perspective,
2026
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Does Knowledge In Design Require A Distinct Epistemology? A Critical Rationalist Perspective, Jj Digby
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Design epistemology has long been divided by apparent dualities, such as science versus art and rationality versus intuition, which resist resolution within existing frameworks. This paper argues these are false dichotomies and that Critical Rationalism (Popper, 1963/2002, 1972; Deutsch, 1997, 2011) provides a universal account of knowledge creation that explains the distinctive character of design without requiring a separate epistemology. Knowledge is conjectural and fallible: progress occurs not through justification or verification, but through iterative creative conjecture and — crucially — error-correction via criticism. Deutsch's account of knowledge as physically instantiated information, subject to the same logic of variation and …
Testing The Unbuilt: Design Studios As Research For Wicked Opportunities,
2026
School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Testing The Unbuilt: Design Studios As Research For Wicked Opportunities, Linus Tan, Justyna Karakiewicz
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This research examines the design studio as a form of architectural design research. Architectural and Urban Design studios have been operating as epistemic laboratories in which the processes of evaluating wicked problems, proposing design interventions, and iteratively testing the fit between the brief and design intersect to generate new knowledge. It is often impractical to evaluate the long-term implications of built works on complex, interrelated societal issues, as such assessments are time-consuming, costly, and rarely yield transferable insights. Hence, many architects and urban designers investigate design opportunities in design studios, allowing them to test, reframe and expand their understanding of …
Critical Assembly: Exploring The Role Of Critical Making In Complex Technology Relationships,
2026
Monash University, Australia
Critical Assembly: Exploring The Role Of Critical Making In Complex Technology Relationships, Chuan Khoo
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Critical making often assumes that practitioners possess or can acquire sufficient technical and fabrication skills to balance reflective inquiry with material engagement. Yet, as digital and networked technologies grow more abstract and complex, they risk constraining critical making by privileging technical proficiency over critical reflection. This tension raises questions about accessibility and the depth of engagement required for meaningful participation, as reliance on pre-integrated solutions may distance both practitioners and lay participants from interrogating technology’s societal roles. Still, uncovering the components of technological systems remains essential to critical engagement. This article proposes critical assembly as an extension of critical making, …
Bio-Inspired Design For Preventive Healthcare: Translating Living Systems Into Design Knowledge,
2026
Department of Engineering, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON, United Kingdom
Bio-Inspired Design For Preventive Healthcare: Translating Living Systems Into Design Knowledge, Xiuyuan Tu, Wei Liu
DRS Biennial Conference Series
This paper investigates how bio-inspired design can contribute to preventive healthcare by learning from the adaptive intelligence of living systems. Through a Critical Interpretive Synthesis of 356 studies, it explores the translation of concepts like adaptation, cooperation, and self-repair from biology to design practice. The Design Knowledge Translation Model (DKTM) is introduced to illustrate the process by which biological insights are interpreted, abstracted, and applied to inform design knowledge. The findings indicate that leveraging nature-inspired reasoning can shift healthcare from a reactive to an anticipatory approach, fostering systems that enhance wellbeing and collective care. Furthermore, this work provides a guideline …
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 …
The Wicked Problem Of Ai Policy Design,
2026
The University of Queensland, Australia
The Wicked Problem Of Ai Policy Design, Awais Hameed Khan, Saarim Saghir, Paul Henman
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Development of policy tools and instruments has always trailed behind technological innovations. More recently, the rapid advancement of AI technologies has resulted in significant widening of this policy gap — a genuine wicked problem. To address this we developed a participatory AI Policy Design toolkit, engaging 23 technology researchers and practitioners to (1) critically evaluate existing AI use cases to identify key considerations for policy; (2) generate a catalogue of current and near future AI use-cases in their domains of expertise; and (3) collaboratively develop AI policy intervention proposal artefacts, and foster a shared vocabulary for AI policy design. Results …
Information Hierarchies For Better Health Communication: Mapping Expert-User Differences For Drug Instruction Design,
2026
Hunan University, China, People's Republic of
Information Hierarchies For Better Health Communication: Mapping Expert-User Differences For Drug Instruction Design, Hengyi Shi, Hao Wang, Zhilong Luan, Chunxi Huang
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Designing drug instructions that communicate effectively to both experts and lay users requires understanding of their different information needs. This study examines how healthcare professionals and the public differ in their priorities and cognitive focus when interpreting drug instructions, offering design guidance for future instructions and labeling system. Using a two-stage approach, we conducted a survey of 111 professionals and 123 public participants to assess their perceived importance of 22 information items, followed by focus groups exploring perceptual and structural expectations. Professionals prioritized procedural accuracy and detailed guidance, while public users emphasized clarity and safety. Despite these differences, both groups …
Design For Trust: A Study On The Emotional Design Method Of Ai Educational Robots For Children With Autism,
2026
School of Design, Hunan University, People's Republic of China
Design For Trust: A Study On The Emotional Design Method Of Ai Educational Robots For Children With Autism, Shanhao Fang, Han Yu, Xiang Yuan
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Amid the integration of AI into special education, establishing trust between AI educational robots and children with autism through emotional design is a critical challenge in HCI. While emotional design benefits general educational robots, systematic frameworks and empirical evidence for autistic children remain scarce. This study applies the three-level emotional design model (Instinctive, behavioral, reflective) to examine how multimodal elements—voice (volume, speed), appearance (color, form), and emotional expressions—affect attention, interaction willingness, and trust. A controlled experiment (N=12) revealed that higher volume, slower speech, warm colors, and positive expressions significantly improve engagement and trust. Based on the results, a design evaluation …
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 …
“Everything That No Longer Relates To Anything”: Discard Studies For Thinking Through Waste In Design,
2026
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain
“Everything That No Longer Relates To Anything”: Discard Studies For Thinking Through Waste In Design, Timothy Cowlishaw, Joan Soler Adillon, Laia Blasco Soplon
DRS Biennial Conference Series
Existing attitudes to waste in sustainable design treat it as a quantity to be minimized: reduced, reused, or recycled. However, according to the field of Discard Studies, waste, and the act of wasting, are shaped by wider social, political, and material systems of interest to design (Liboiron & Lepawsky, 2022), therefore working with waste can have broader implications for design practice. We introduce the principles and methods of Discard Studies, through a report on the participatory project "L'Arxiu de Rastres Tecnològics de Vic", carried out in Vic, Catalonia, in autumn 2025. The project used Discard Studies methods to encourage participants …
