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Consumer-Facing Technologies In Stores: A Longitudinal Study Of Their Impact On Customer Experience, Anthony Kent, Bethan Alexander Jun 2026

Consumer-Facing Technologies In Stores: A Longitudinal Study Of Their Impact On Customer Experience, Anthony Kent, Bethan Alexander

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper presents a longitudinal study of instore shopping technologies (ISTs) and their contribution to the phygital fashion store. It builds on studies of store design in an omnichannel environment and the use of ISTs for distinctive customer experiences (CX). The aim is to understand changes in fashion retailing brought about by ISTs and the extent to which they influence CX in the customer journey. The research was undertaken in three stages, in 2014, 2019 and 2024 in three of London’s West End shopping streets. The Methodology was replicated in each stage, using observations of store interiors and in-depth, qualitative …

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What Can't Be Confessed: The Structural Absence Of Value Accountability In Design Culture, Michael Dunbar, Liam Fennessy, Chris Speed Jun 2026

What Can't Be Confessed: The Structural Absence Of Value Accountability In Design Culture, Michael Dunbar, Liam Fennessy, Chris Speed

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Design culture has proliferated aspirational value frameworks, from manifestos championing social justice to ethics toolkits, yet lacks meaningful accountability infrastructure when values are violated or conflict. This paper examines a transgressive design research intervention: a mobile confessional booth at a city Design Week in 2025 that invited designers to anonymously confess professional compromises and ethical failures. The 125 confessions revealed patterns of deflection (blaming systems over individual agency), superficiality (focusing on technical mistakes rather than methodological rigour leading to ethical violations), and conspicuous absence of admissions regarding exploitation, greenwashing, or designing harm. Unlike medicine, law, or journalism, design has implemented …

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Cut It Out: Reframing Hand Paper-Ripping As A Collage Method For Wellbeing And Care, Danielle Vaughan Jun 2026

Cut It Out: Reframing Hand Paper-Ripping As A Collage Method For Wellbeing And Care, Danielle Vaughan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Hand-based paper-ripping collage-making (PRCM) promotes wellbeing through circular engagement with re-purposed papers as transitional materials, demonstrating a threephased framework (apprehension, confidence, co-creation) that is potentially transferable to bio-based materials and other substrates. The study introduces paperpeutic, a neologistic term describing the therapeutic value arising from mindful, improvisational engagement with manual ripping in PRCM contexts, drawing inspiration from Japanese Chigiri-e and Western collage traditions. The practice fosters mindfulness, creativity, and community through direct, hands-on engagement, providing an accessible alternative to the abstraction and precision of digital design. Salvaged paper is reframed as an active collaborator in the processes of meaning-making and …

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Does Taboo Constrain Self-Knowledge?: A Design-Led Inquiry Into The Intimate Health Of Older Women, Renata Rocha, Ayşe Özge Ağça, Teresa Almeida Jun 2026

Does Taboo Constrain Self-Knowledge?: A Design-Led Inquiry Into The Intimate Health Of Older Women, Renata Rocha, Ayşe Özge Ağça, Teresa Almeida

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Intimate health deals with highly personal functions and experiences related to sexuality, reproduction, and vulnerability. In this paper, we enquire into the private nature and sociocultural constructs of these experiences in relation to self-knowledge. We introduce a design workshop with three women aged 65+ in Portugal, where we investigated intimate care practices throughout the lifecourse. Our findings show that participatory methods can open dialogue and reveal tacit knowledge, and that lifelong learning is critical for healthy ageing. We reflect on our practice in relation to design considerations for designing with taboo and offer future directions for designing for and with …

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Perception-Based Design: An Approach For Engineering Sustainable Biobased Materials, Manu Thundathil, Ali Reza Nazmi, Bahareh Shahri, Nick Emerson, Jörg Müssig, Tim Huber Jun 2026

Perception-Based Design: An Approach For Engineering Sustainable Biobased Materials, Manu Thundathil, Ali Reza Nazmi, Bahareh Shahri, Nick Emerson, Jörg Müssig, Tim Huber

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Biobased composites, which are sustainable materials ideally poised to replace fossil-based raw materials, paradoxically are struggling to gain market acceptance. This underperformance is attributed to poor demand and acceptance of biobased composites, driven by technical and perceptual challenges. However, most research on biobased composites focuses on addressing technical challenges and fails to incorporate perceptual qualities into the material development process. By understanding the role of material characteristics (colour, patterns, texture, roughness) in shaping these qualities, we propose that novel biobased composites could be developed to meet specific consumer product needs. A prediction model for generating the desired material perception could …

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Drawn To Think: A Step Toward Decolonising Design Visualcy, Ellen O'Gorman Jun 2026

Drawn To Think: A Step Toward Decolonising Design Visualcy, Ellen O'Gorman

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Design students often hesitate to use drawing as a thinking tool, wary of expectations for figurative outcomes and the evaluative traditions that shape the status quo in product design. This study draws on object-oriented ontology (OOO) and vibrant materialism to explore how a drawing tool—specifically the pencil— might act as an agent in rethinking the pedagogy of semiogenic design visualcy. The study proposes micro-camera activities that capture the pencil’s perspective to produce a radically altered visual and auditory encounter with drawing. Tracing the pencil’s entanglements reveals drawing not simply as representation but relation. The line becomes both a mark and …

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Longing For: Designing Activities To Break The Taboo Of Female Sexuality In Care Homes, Yoni Lefévre, Niels Hendriks, Heather Wilkinson, Andrea Wilkinson, Arno G. Verhoeven Jun 2026

Longing For: Designing Activities To Break The Taboo Of Female Sexuality In Care Homes, Yoni Lefévre, Niels Hendriks, Heather Wilkinson, Andrea Wilkinson, Arno G. Verhoeven

DRS Biennial Conference Series

An effort to co-explore later life sexuality with older adults, this study critically reflects on a series of intentionally designed activities to discuss intimacy and sexual pleasure in a care context. Five activities were organised in a Belgian care home, involving four to six female residents, that gradually introduced a more explicit language about sexual health. The results highlight that: 1) taboos are difficult to discuss, therefore storytelling is crucial, 2) feeling vulnerable is confronting, but also enables genuine connections, and 3) co-exploring taboos through playfulness, while enabling self-expression. This paper provides a more in-depth understanding of designing collective dialogues …

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Optimizing Design Processes Through Data Intelligence Under Resource Constraints: A Qualitative Interview Study In Industry, Aoyi Shen, Jinyu Gu, Yang Yin, Xiyuan Zhang, Yan Dong, Yuchen Hong, Aitian Fan, Boyi Lian, Hao Fan, Chunlei Chai Jun 2026

Optimizing Design Processes Through Data Intelligence Under Resource Constraints: A Qualitative Interview Study In Industry, Aoyi Shen, Jinyu Gu, Yang Yin, Xiyuan Zhang, Yan Dong, Yuchen Hong, Aitian Fan, Boyi Lian, Hao Fan, Chunlei Chai

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Enterprises operating under resource constraints often struggle to maintain efficient and innovative design practices. Data intelligence (DI) offers new opportunities to overcome design challenges and process optimization. However, research on how DI is practically integrated into real-world design workflows under such constraints remains limited. To address this gap, qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 industry designers from 14 companies. Using grounded theory, the interview data were coded to examine how DI supports the optimization of existing design processes and to identify its key intervention points and values. The study further investigates how DI interacts with design practices from multiple perspectives, …

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Learning Through Alternatives: Fostering Reflection Through Design Interventions, Nooshin Ziashahabi, Seyed-Abbas Yazdanfar, Ahmad Ekhlassi Jun 2026

Learning Through Alternatives: Fostering Reflection Through Design Interventions, Nooshin Ziashahabi, Seyed-Abbas Yazdanfar, Ahmad Ekhlassi

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper investigates how structured pedagogical interventions can foster reflective Learning within design studios. Conducted as an action-based case study with fifteen interior design students, the research integrated principles of Research through Design (RtD) and Action Design Research (ADR) to link educational practice with reflective inquiry. Four iterative interventions, including model making, circulation mapping, vertical connection, and inside–outside exploration, were designed to disrupt habitual thinking and enhance metacognitive awareness. Data from observations, interviews, and evaluations were analyzed through a three-layer framework capturing behavioral, cognitive, and self-regulatory dimensions of reflection. Findings show that reflection did not arise directly from the interventions …

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“I Didn’T Choose To Write My Life”: Trauma-Informed Values In The Design Of Social Care Records, Marissa Cummings, Gemma Teal Jun 2026

“I Didn’T Choose To Write My Life”: Trauma-Informed Values In The Design Of Social Care Records, Marissa Cummings, Gemma Teal

DRS Biennial Conference Series

While there has been a recent interest in trauma-informed design approaches, there is still a need for further research on its use in participatory design (PD). This paper discusses the methodology of a values-driven, trauma-informed PD project which explored how social care records could be redesigned to meet the needs and aspirations of young people (YP). Care-experienced people have often lived through traumatic experiences closely associated with their experiences of care, resulting in a lack of trust in social care professionals. While foregrounding the views of care-experienced people, this project also engaged with professionals, revealing systemic tensions which needed to …

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Why Is The Artwork No Longer Enough? Phygital Narratives As An Interplay Between The Real And The Digital, Alessandra Miano Jun 2026

Why Is The Artwork No Longer Enough? Phygital Narratives As An Interplay Between The Real And The Digital, Alessandra Miano

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The cross-cutting introduction of digital technologies into museum infrastructure activates a process of reinterpretation of digital languages within the museum narrative framework. From this perspective, the spread of phygital phenomena, such as contextual interaction between physical and digital worlds, is recontextualised within the field of cultural heritage and museums, revealing narrative and experiential potential in the capacity to express the evocative component of the spaces and artworks on display, through digital and interactive abilities. The contamination between physical space and digital layer is constructed starting from the stories to be told, orchestrated by the body gestures of visitors. The paper …

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Civic Imagining: Participatory Speculative Design And Its Opportunities In Civic Service Design, Isabel Regina Meriales Jun 2026

Civic Imagining: Participatory Speculative Design And Its Opportunities In Civic Service Design, Isabel Regina Meriales

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This exploratory research discusses participatory speculative design (PSD) in the context of understanding its potential opportunities for civic service design (CSD) and for practicing designers in this growing field. This study employs a critical lens, with consideration to existing criticisms regarding the design practice, and how to navigate through potential barriers in civic service design. The research paper explores the approach of participatory speculative design, and how it might inform civic service design and its designers today.

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Enquête D’Âme: A Participatory Visualisation Of Wellbeing Through Embodied Reflection, Ricardo O'Nascimento, Bruna Petreca Jun 2026

Enquête D’Âme: A Participatory Visualisation Of Wellbeing Through Embodied Reflection, Ricardo O'Nascimento, Bruna Petreca

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Enquête d’âme is an interactive installation and research instrument that reimagines design impact assessment by shifting from affect detection to wellbeing articulation. A textile-covered keyboard allows participants to select from sixteen wellbeing dimensions; each input generates a coloured circle within a shared projection, forming an evolving visualisation of collective resonance. Three public deployments—a cultural event, arts festival, and university showcase—combined observations, brief interviews, and log analysis. Findings show that slow, tactile interaction fosters mindful engagement; participants treat the dimensions as reflective anchors rather than diagnostic labels; and aggregate patterns vary contextually (e.g., Optimism/Future-self in policy discussions, Playfulness/Participation in festival settings). …

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Designing For Being Mindful: A Non-Instrumental Turn To Mindfulness Technology, Xiaozhuang Gao, Beverley Hood, Denitsa Petrova Jun 2026

Designing For Being Mindful: A Non-Instrumental Turn To Mindfulness Technology, Xiaozhuang Gao, Beverley Hood, Denitsa Petrova

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Mindfulness technology in Human–Computer Interaction research predominantly remains grounded in behaviourist and cognitivist paradigms. Such instrumental design logic emphasises goal achievement and behavioural compliance, conflicting with the core ideals of mindfulness—non-striving, non-judging, and acceptance. Drawing on phenomenological, pragmatist, and embodied perspectives, this paper proposes a non-instrumental approach to mindfulness technology grounded in aesthetic experience. It also introduces a theoretical framework consisting of four experiential dimensions: somatic, temporal, atmospheric and material to reposition mindfulness technology as a medium of experience rather than a means to an end. Through design practice, this paper explores two early interaction prototypes to generate insights about …

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Along The Line Of Emotional Support: Reimagining Ai Companions For Young Adults’ Wellbeing, Giulia Jiangxian Zhu, Xue Pei, Andrea Gaggioli Jun 2026

Along The Line Of Emotional Support: Reimagining Ai Companions For Young Adults’ Wellbeing, Giulia Jiangxian Zhu, Xue Pei, Andrea Gaggioli

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Young adults increasingly face emotional stress, uncertainty, and a lack of accessible, non-judgmental support. While AI technologies are emerging as potential companions, many adopt anthropomorphic and chat-based models that risk emotional overdependence, blurred boundaries, and false intimacy. This research explores how AI systems might be reimagined to foster authentic and ethical forms of companionship that support young adults’ wellbeing. Grounded in Positive Technology and its focus on promoting human flourishing, this research adopts a research-through-design approach, integrating semi-structured interviews, co-design sessions, hands-on prototyping, and user feedback. The resulting prototype, ALONG is a calm, embodied AI companion designed to encourage personal …

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Practicing Prototyping Within Transition Design: Materials, Competences And Meanings, Maria Vitaller Del Olmo Jun 2026

Practicing Prototyping Within Transition Design: Materials, Competences And Meanings, Maria Vitaller Del Olmo

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Recent research highlights the potential of prototyping for promoting sustainable transitions. However, scholars argue that it is essential to modify, and possibly redefine, the conventional use of prototyping to address complex system transformations. This paper enhances the understanding of prototyping within Transition Design for sustainability. Drawing on Social Practice Theory and practice-oriented design, we conceive prototyping as a design practice and define it through three key components: materials, competencies, and meanings. This perspective shifts the emphasis from individual prototyping artefacts to a more comprehensive, contextual understanding of the practice, aligning with the systemic nature of transitions. The empirical findings derive …

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Practical Ways Of Staying With The Trouble: Enacting Posthuman Ethics Through Design Practice, Marta Ferreira, Ana Henriques, Angelika Strohmayer, Valentina Nisi Jun 2026

Practical Ways Of Staying With The Trouble: Enacting Posthuman Ethics Through Design Practice, Marta Ferreira, Ana Henriques, Angelika Strohmayer, Valentina Nisi

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper explores how posthuman design researchers operationalise the values inherent to their research as an everyday practice of care, messiness, and partiality. Drawing on five in-depth interviews and employing diffractive analysis through posthuman and feminist care ethics lenses, the study highlights how practitioners enact plural, situated, and reflexive approaches to method. The findings distil theoretical commitments into actionable suggestions and everyday ethics, underscoring the significance of relational accountability in design research. Implications are discussed for legitimising care-centred methods, reframing design research, and supporting systemic change. In foregrounding posthuman approaches and ethics as ongoing attunement, this research offers practical strategies …

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Building Together(Ness): Exploring Constructive Play When Designing For Social–Emotional Learning (Sel) In Late Childhood., Mariagiulia Sardu Jun 2026

Building Together(Ness): Exploring Constructive Play When Designing For Social–Emotional Learning (Sel) In Late Childhood., Mariagiulia Sardu

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper investigates how constructive play can support social–emotional learning (SEL) in late childhood. As children approach adolescence, they increasingly seek emotional support from peers, develop stronger identities and need to engage in self-reflection and personal expression. Despite these needs, SEL programs targeting children aged 8 to 11 are limited. Research has shown that play can support SEL. This study explores how constructive play can foster social–emotional skills and help address this shortage. The project was conducted with a child-centred approach and a design-based research methodology, ensuring a strong link between theory and practice while prioritising children’s perspectives. The fieldwork …

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Reused Earthenware In The Wall: Learning From Vernacular Dwellings As A Source Of Tacit Knowledge For Material Circularity, Hale Gonul, Esin Hasgul Jun 2026

Reused Earthenware In The Wall: Learning From Vernacular Dwellings As A Source Of Tacit Knowledge For Material Circularity, Hale Gonul, Esin Hasgul

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper seeks to explore the material transitions in vernacular dwellings to explore how local knowledge can inform future construction practices rooted in material circularity. Behramkale village in northwestern Türkiye harbours traditional dwellings where reused earthenware from pots to roof tiles are integrated into masonry for durability and ornamentation. This unique and site-specific construction technique reflects the resourcefulness of local craftsmanship. Under the methodology titled “tracing the earthenware,” the study maps the distribution and uses of these elements throughout the village, interpreting them not as passive remnants but as active agents which can help envision future pathways for material circularity, …

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How Epistemic Uncertainty Tolerance Affects Creative Idea Generation In Design, Sue During, Michael Mose Biskjaer, Elger Abrahamse, Alwin De Rooij Jun 2026

How Epistemic Uncertainty Tolerance Affects Creative Idea Generation In Design, Sue During, Michael Mose Biskjaer, Elger Abrahamse, Alwin De Rooij

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Creativity in collaborative design unfolds under conditions of unspecific and ambiguous information. While such epistemic uncertainty is inherent to many design projects, its impact on creativity is underexplored. This study investigated how epistemic uncertainty induced through problem briefings affects creativity during idea generation, and how tolerance for epistemic uncertainty moderates this relationship. A between-subjects experiment with 67 student participants collaborating in 18 groups tested idea generation under high versus low epistemic uncertainty conditions. The results showed a dual pathway effect: high epistemic uncertainty, compared to low epistemic uncertainty, increased idea originality, but decreased idea usefulness. Average group tolerance for uncertainty …

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Methodologies As Complex Systems: Practicing Pluralism In Systemic Design For Transformations Toward Regeneration, Haley Fitzpatrick Jun 2026

Methodologies As Complex Systems: Practicing Pluralism In Systemic Design For Transformations Toward Regeneration, Haley Fitzpatrick

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Pluralism is essential for transformations toward regeneration, to (re)align human activity with holistic planetary health. Systemic design’s pluralistic intentions offer a promising pathway, yet its methodologies rarely match the complexity they aim to engage. The focus often falls on adding new methods instead of examining how methodologies function. As a result, systemic design methodologies struggle to navigate the contextual, epistemic, and cultural differences within plural pathways toward regeneration. This paper argues that systemic design methodologies can negotiate pluralism more effectively when functioning as complex systems themselves: nonlinear, emergent, and relational. Drawing on participatory action research across three diverse communities, I …

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Measuring The ‘In-Between’: From Spatial Grammar To Brand Re-Contextualisation And Localisation. A Case Study Approach In East Asian Fashion Flagships, Ziqi Cao Jun 2026

Measuring The ‘In-Between’: From Spatial Grammar To Brand Re-Contextualisation And Localisation. A Case Study Approach In East Asian Fashion Flagships, Ziqi Cao

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper examines experiential retail strategies in high-end fashion through two global flagships stores in East Asia: Lemaire Ebisu in Tokyo and Loewe Gaozhai Chengdu (Taikoo Li). Prior scholarship traced spatial storytelling in high-end flagships to connect brand identity with local environments, frameworks that render the narratology of ‘in-between’ as a design tool bridging localisation with customer experience remain underdeveloped. This study positions flagships as ‘in-between’ interfaces linking space, local culture, and brand to generate place-specific experiences. Through an exploratory qualitative approach comprising document analysis, store observation, and spatial-typological analysis, this research develops the ‘in-between’ as a conceptual framework that …

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Evaluating Impact As A Distributed Ecosystem: Insights From A Coral-Themed Museum Late, Nirit Binyamini Ben Meir, Laura Selby, Danielle Barrios-O’Neill, Charlotte Jarvis, Devanshi Rungta Jun 2026

Evaluating Impact As A Distributed Ecosystem: Insights From A Coral-Themed Museum Late, Nirit Binyamini Ben Meir, Laura Selby, Danielle Barrios-O’Neill, Charlotte Jarvis, Devanshi Rungta

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Cultural institutions frequently use design to help audiences engage with scientific knowledge and understand environmental crises, yet evaluating design’s impact remains challenging. Existing frameworks focus on audience learning, demonstrated through feedback surveys, but such frameworks overlook how designers, scientists, museum staff, visitors and non-humans co-shape engagement and impact. This paper discusses the significance of distributed impact, and tests methods for evaluating how impact is distributed across stakeholders in a museum environment. The case study details a Museum-Lates event using experimental experience design to engage audiences with coral conservation. Using multi-method data collection across different stages of event production, we trace …

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Strategic Design In Business Organizations: An Approach For Design Management, Business Strategy, And Design Strategy, G. Mauricio Mejía Jun 2026

Strategic Design In Business Organizations: An Approach For Design Management, Business Strategy, And Design Strategy, G. Mauricio Mejía

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The term “strategic design” gained popularity over the last three decades. It originated in the 1990s, when design management scholars began studying the strategic value of design within business organizations. In the 2000s, terms such as design thinking and user-centered design gained traction, expanding the scope of design work and who was considered a designer. In professional networks, strategic design has been emerging as some professionals claim to be strategic designers or discuss related practices. This exploratory paper aims to identify definitions, roles, and skills associated with strategic design in the context of business organizations. A scoping of the literature …

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Decoding The Visual Language Of Embroidery: Making, Knowing, And Recontextualising, Minshu Chen Jun 2026

Decoding The Visual Language Of Embroidery: Making, Knowing, And Recontextualising, Minshu Chen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper positions textile-making as a way of understanding the world through embodied engagement with materials, processes and relationships. Drawing on Xiang embroidery traditions and the Chinese philosophical concept of Qi-Yun (vital force and resonant rhythm). Through participatory workshops with local communities in Hunan, China, it explores how tacit knowledge emerges in a specific context through inner perception, observation, collaboration and dialogue surrounding material interaction and the accumulation of experience. A triangular methodology is developed to analyse multiple standpoints (traditional practitioners, technical collaborators and spectators) and articulate how different standpoints participate in meaning-making within textile practice. This approach theorises embroidery …

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Evaluating Creative Efficacy In Human-Ai Design Convergence: An Experimental Study Of Support Modes, Yuying Pei, Ling Fan* Jun 2026

Evaluating Creative Efficacy In Human-Ai Design Convergence: An Experimental Study Of Support Modes, Yuying Pei, Ling Fan*

DRS Biennial Conference Series

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has demonstrated significant potential in the divergent phases of design, its role in the convergent phase (solution selection) is less understood. This study investigates how different AI-assisted selection modes impact a designer's creative efficacy. We conducted an experiment (N=40) with graduate design students, who used four distinct AI support modes—(1) Textual Description, (2) Pros/Cons Comparison, (3) AI Scoring, and (4) Direct Recommendation—to select a final design from a set of concepts. Efficacy was measured using behavioral data (selection time, choice), user satisfaction (QUIS), cognitive load (NASA-TLX), and technology acceptance (TAM). Results show that the AI Scoring …

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Framing The Fuzzy: Mapping Expert Designers’ Problem Framing Through C–K Theory, Die Hu, Thomas Woods, Wendy Zhang, Zehong Li, Hongyao Li Jun 2026

Framing The Fuzzy: Mapping Expert Designers’ Problem Framing Through C–K Theory, Die Hu, Thomas Woods, Wendy Zhang, Zehong Li, Hongyao Li

DRS Biennial Conference Series

During the Fuzzy Front End (FFE), the early and uncertain stage of the design process, creatively framing design problems plays a critical role in shaping direction and originality of outcomes. While the value of problem framing is well established, the cognitive mechanisms for innovation developed through industrial experience by which expert designers navigate ambiguity, remain comparatively underexamined. Guided by the C–K Theory, this study examines how expert designers leverage experiential knowledge when transitioning between concept (C) and knowledge (K) spaces. Using a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews and real-time framing tasks with 12 expert designers (5+ years of practice). …

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Negotiating Authenticity, Vividness, And Engagement: A Design Framework For Genai In Heritage Co-Creation, Zijing Song, Sifan Chen, Chihiro Sato, Christian Wagner Jun 2026

Negotiating Authenticity, Vividness, And Engagement: A Design Framework For Genai In Heritage Co-Creation, Zijing Song, Sifan Chen, Chihiro Sato, Christian Wagner

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The adoption of generative AI in heritage storytelling has revealed hidden tensions among stakeholders due to competing values. To investigate how design research can negotiate values differences, we conducted a three-session qualitative study surrounding the “Kawagoe Festival” in a bottom-up, three stakeholder-group setting. Session 1 used photo-elicitation to ground memories; Session 2 adopted human–AI image co-creation to explore past representations and speculative futures; while Session 3 facilitated reflective discussion. Grounded theory analysis identifies three values shaping GenAI-mediated co-creation: authenticity as a symbolic baseline, vividness as the enrichment of remembered details, and engagement as enabler of iterative, playful participation. Stakeholders balanced …

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Three Lenses, One Wicked Problem: Navigating Pluralism To Address Consumer Confusion In Australia, Brian Rodrigo Llagas, Linda Brennan, Simon Lockrey Jun 2026

Three Lenses, One Wicked Problem: Navigating Pluralism To Address Consumer Confusion In Australia, Brian Rodrigo Llagas, Linda Brennan, Simon Lockrey

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Food waste presents a significant global environmental and economic challenge. Australian households are responsible for 40% of discarded food, with unclear date labelling and storage advice creating consumer confusion, contributing to the problem. This research employed systems thinking and pluralism to address consumer confusion. A multi-level analytical framework integrating visual grammar, symbolic interactionism, and activity theory examined semiotic dimensions, interactions, and system behaviours within the food packaging system. Micro-level prototyping generated design concepts for date labels and storage advice. Meso-level collective intelligence-participatory design techniques evaluated the designs and brainstormed solutions. Scenario planning at the macro level used morphological analysis to …

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Designing For Themselves: The Gearbox Model Of Value-Reclaiming Design Within Grassroots Sports Communities, Yijia Jiang, Huiyi Zhang, Keren Zhang, Shiyu Liu, Kin Wai Michael Siu Jun 2026

Designing For Themselves: The Gearbox Model Of Value-Reclaiming Design Within Grassroots Sports Communities, Yijia Jiang, Huiyi Zhang, Keren Zhang, Shiyu Liu, Kin Wai Michael Siu

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Grassroots sports communities (GSCs) express and impact values through everyday design practices that build belonging, identity, and agency. Adopting qualitative multi-case analysis of representative GSCs (n=10), this study explores how these communities define and reclaim their values through design practice. Four modalities are identified: 1) narrative re-authoring, 2) aesthetic re-coding, 3) collaborative re-making, and 4) ethical re-grounding. These modalities constitute a dynamic process wherein design functions as a relational infrastructure for collective meaning-making. Based on these findings, the study generates a Gearbox Model of Value-Reclaiming Design, theorising how communal design agency is exercised through dynamic and recursive interplay. The model …

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