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Articles 2791 - 2820 of 571412

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Designing Safer School Routes In Busan, South Korea: Living Lab Approach To Child-Centered Traffic Safety, Yong-Ki Lee Jun 2026

Designing Safer School Routes In Busan, South Korea: Living Lab Approach To Child-Centered Traffic Safety, Yong-Ki Lee

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Urban traffic environments in Busan, South Korea, often remain poorly adapted to the needs of children, despite infrastructure-based safety measures. This paper reports on a Living Lab project for co-creating safer school commuting environments through participatory service design. Researchers, elementary school students, parents, residents, and local authorities collaboratively identified critical issues, generated design ideas, and evaluated context-specific interventions. This paper synthesizes the Living Lab as both a methodological framework and a civic learning ecosystem by tracing how stakeholders’ perceptions, roles, and capacities evolved through iterative co-design, mapping, and prototyping activities. The findings highlight the potential of Living Labs to bridge …

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Value Co-Creation, Co-Displacement, And Co-Destruction In Design: Bridging Value And Values In Human-Data Interaction, Boyeun Lee, Ella Tallyn, Ramprabu Thangaraj, Chris Elsden, Chris Speed Jun 2026

Value Co-Creation, Co-Displacement, And Co-Destruction In Design: Bridging Value And Values In Human-Data Interaction, Boyeun Lee, Ella Tallyn, Ramprabu Thangaraj, Chris Elsden, Chris Speed

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Data has emerged as a fundamental driver of value creation within design processes, shaping economic, ethical, and environmental outcomes across societies and socio-technical systems. Existing scholarship often frames value in binary terms of co-creation and co-destruction, overlooking the systemic complexities introduced by interconnected, data-intensive systems. This paper introduces the novel concept of value co-displacement to capture how alternative forms of value emerge and displace others within human–data interaction. Drawing on four design research case studies, we investigate how value and values are co-created, co-displaced, and co-destroyed across interconnected, data-intensive systems. We develop a framework that conceptualises the dynamic interplay of …

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Emerging Hybrid Human-Genai Workflows To Optimise Human Ideation, Sketching And Design, Mauricio Novoa Munoz, Juan Antonio Islas Munoz, Alejandro Lozano Robledo Jun 2026

Emerging Hybrid Human-Genai Workflows To Optimise Human Ideation, Sketching And Design, Mauricio Novoa Munoz, Juan Antonio Islas Munoz, Alejandro Lozano Robledo

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This article presents findings on the reciprocal relationship between industrial design education and the industry it prepares graduates for. Particularly considering the growing impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on ideation, sketching, design methodologies, and productivity. To inform this research, industry professionals currently integrating GenAI into their practice were consulted to establish benchmarks and highlight critical areas for updated pedagogical approaches and digital transformation, thereby ensuring that design learning and productivity workflows remain relevant. The study arises from an awareness of current workforce shifts that are anticipated to become more pronounced soon. Rapid technological advancements are driving significant cultural and …

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Interface Cultures, Forever: Speculative Prototypes For Technological Awareness, Mario Ciaramitaro, Pietro Costa Jun 2026

Interface Cultures, Forever: Speculative Prototypes For Technological Awareness, Mario Ciaramitaro, Pietro Costa

DRS Biennial Conference Series

As artificial intelligence increasingly takes over the designer’s role in shaping interfaces for services and platforms, a key challenge is how to teach young designers to critically reflect on how design mechanisms shape users and their everyday lives. Interface Cultures, Forever was a design workshop that challenged the conventional notion of the digital interface. Participants were asked to design critical interfaces - concepts that reveal tensions, paradoxes, and invisible mechanisms within digital life. Through speculative and ironic prototypes, students explored how interfaces shape behavior, emotion, and identity. The projects articulate a landscape of cultural critique, where the interface becomes both …

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Against The Given: Reframing The Brief For Transformative Design Practices, Roger Paez, James Auger Jun 2026

Against The Given: Reframing The Brief For Transformative Design Practices, Roger Paez, James Auger

DRS Biennial Conference Series

While design transition discourse foregrounds systemic change, pedagogy frequently remains rooted in a solutionist mindset, in which the design brief often functions to perpetuate norms. Drawing on the Erasmus+ project Speculative Urban Futures, we reimagine the design brief as an infrastructure for epistemic plurality. Students collaboratively develop and circulate briefs across groups, harnessing divergence as a means of expanding the design space and unsettling normative expectations. We argue that embracing this tension is central to navigating the “growing pains” of design transitions. By embedding theoretical complexity within viscerality, playfulness and speculation, design education can shift from transmission to transformation—equipping students …

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Exploring Common Understandings And Bodily Experiences Of Vulnerability In Design Researchers In Sensitive Contexts, Bhakti Moghe, Roberta Antognini, Sofie Dideriksen, Zhuochao Peng, Francesca Toso, Maarten Houben Jun 2026

Exploring Common Understandings And Bodily Experiences Of Vulnerability In Design Researchers In Sensitive Contexts, Bhakti Moghe, Roberta Antognini, Sofie Dideriksen, Zhuochao Peng, Francesca Toso, Maarten Houben

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Design researchers are increasingly being exposed to stressors while empathizing with their participants such as feeling emotionally charged, leading them to feeling vulnerable. Currently, there is a lack of clear consensus on how this vulnerability arises and manifests, hindering both individual and collective awareness and support. To address this gap, we conducted an empirical investigation into the vulnerability of design researchers. We conducted exploratory workshops with PhD students working in the field of design research in sensitive settings. The workshops consisted of three approaches to understand researcher vulnerability: (1) Reflecting on individual and collective vulnerability, (2) Exploring embodied experiences, and …

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The Memory Loom: Reweaving Curatorial Power Relations With Source Communities In Virtual Reality Cultural Heritage Exhibitions, Ning Zhao, Ziqiang He, Shijie Ming, Haopeng Yuan, Furui Sun, Ke Jiang Jun 2026

The Memory Loom: Reweaving Curatorial Power Relations With Source Communities In Virtual Reality Cultural Heritage Exhibitions, Ning Zhao, Ziqiang He, Shijie Ming, Haopeng Yuan, Furui Sun, Ke Jiang

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper examines how to redistribute curatorial power in VR heritage exhibitions by designing actionable governance mechanisms. We conceptualize VR heritage exhibitions as political curatorial infrastructures rather than neutral storytelling media. We employ a two-stage RtD framework: first building a baseline VR stage, then embedding two mechanisms: Parallel Weave (narrative authorship) and Asynchronous Governance Lock (publishing/veto rights). With N=32 participants, analysis reveals four tensions: (1) community narratives increased affective engagement and epistemic recognition, yet (2) parallel inclusion also risked narrative segregation; (3) a visible veto established accountable workflows, but (4) this power redistribution also transferred sociopolitical risk onto community representatives, …

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Designing Motion Identity: Exploring The Aesthetic Expression Of Brand Style Through System Motion, Xinyi Xie, Yinman Guo, Zican Chen Jun 2026

Designing Motion Identity: Exploring The Aesthetic Expression Of Brand Style Through System Motion, Xinyi Xie, Yinman Guo, Zican Chen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This study investigates how system motion enhances aesthetic experience and shapes users’ interpretation of brand style. Using Windows 11, macOS, and HarmonyOS as representative cases, the study analyses four categories of system animations through a motor-level framework comprising temporal, spatial, and transformational attributes. Twelve motion samples were coded, and participants evaluated each sample using perceptual adjectives. The results show that consistent attribute patterns across functional categories lead to stable aesthetic tendencies, while differences emerge from how each system repeatedly applies these attributes. These attribute biases create distinct perceptual profiles, indicating that motion can function as a subtle medium for expressing …

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The Influence Of Generative Ai On Design Students' Confidence And Self-Efficacy: A Case Study Of Logotype Design, Yamile Guzman-Saleh, Juan-Carlos Rojas, Johana Gisela Hernandez-Martinez, Manuel Contero Jun 2026

The Influence Of Generative Ai On Design Students' Confidence And Self-Efficacy: A Case Study Of Logotype Design, Yamile Guzman-Saleh, Juan-Carlos Rojas, Johana Gisela Hernandez-Martinez, Manuel Contero

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This study examines the influence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) on design students’ self-efficacy and perceived confidence during a logotype creation task. Through an exploratory pre–post experimental protocol, 35 undergraduate design students generated manual sketches and subsequently refined them using a GenAI tool. The results show that, while GenAI effectively transformed manual sketches into more elaborate visual representations, its impact on students’ perceived creative mastery remained moderate. Self-efficacy and confidence levels showed no significant differences after the intervention, although slight improvements were observed in aspects related to imagination, collaboration, and willingness to face challenging situations. Students assessed the utility, novelty, …

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Troubling Transitions: Growing Pains In Designing And Researching For Transformation, Femke Coops, Marysol Ortega Pallanez, Joanna Boehnert, Idil Gaziulusoy, Silvana Juri, Anja Overdiek, Alma Leora Culén, Ida Nilstad Pettersen, Dan Lockton, Emma Dewberry, Fabrizio Ceschin Jun 2026

Troubling Transitions: Growing Pains In Designing And Researching For Transformation, Femke Coops, Marysol Ortega Pallanez, Joanna Boehnert, Idil Gaziulusoy, Silvana Juri, Anja Overdiek, Alma Leora Culén, Ida Nilstad Pettersen, Dan Lockton, Emma Dewberry, Fabrizio Ceschin

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The theme track ‘Troubling Transitions: Growing Pains in Designing and Researching for Transformation’ at DRS2026 includes 12 papers that explore the growing pains, the frictions, contradictions, and (unresolved) dilemmas that characterise designing for transitions and transformations including tensions around epistemic challenges, transdisciplinarity, and participation, and the responses designers/design researchers are exploring to meet them. This editorial describes key growing pains addressed in the papers, while highlighting the different response to dilemmas in transition work. Through reflecting on the contributions to the track, several opportunities for future work arise as the field matures.

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No One Knew. They Came. Exploring Photo-Elicitation In Societal Development, Jennie Schaeffer, Mira Karlsson, Andreea Strineholm, Erika Andersson Jun 2026

No One Knew. They Came. Exploring Photo-Elicitation In Societal Development, Jennie Schaeffer, Mira Karlsson, Andreea Strineholm, Erika Andersson

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Citizen dialogues strive for inclusivity but often exclude marginalized groups. New participatory and creativity-based approaches are needed to be evaluated and become a part of the skillset repertoire for public officials to foster an inclusive dialogue. This paper reflects on photo-based conversations as a dialogic method for societal development and inclusion. The results show that the method provides possibilities to creatively involve participants, strengthen relationships and open a space for diverse narratives between different actors in society. However, the challenges of internal exclusion, lack of strategies for impact, and the need to build competence in handling conflicting stories, without depoliticizing …

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Interiority As A Pedagogical Approach In Interior Design Studio Education, Selin Aktan Abraham, Fulya Özbey Jun 2026

Interiority As A Pedagogical Approach In Interior Design Studio Education, Selin Aktan Abraham, Fulya Özbey

DRS Biennial Conference Series

As the central platform of design education, interior design studios function as dynamic learning environments that advance creativity and sensitivity to the social and spatial dimensions of design. Although the experiential qualities of space are conceptually acknowledged within studio pedagogy, the notion of ‘interiority’ remains unstudied compared to the emphasis placed on technical requirements. This paper positions interiority as a critical yet underexplored component of interior design pedagogy. Through a literature mapping and thematic synthesis, this paper defines five core dimensions of interiority as (1) spatial, (2) sensory, (3) affective, (4) identity-related, and (5) temporal, then correlates these dimensions in …

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Frictions And Constraints Of Institutioning: Facilitating Equitable Participatory Design With Migrants In Municipalities, Uttishta Sreerama Varanasi, Rūta Šerpytytė, Thomas Olsson Jun 2026

Frictions And Constraints Of Institutioning: Facilitating Equitable Participatory Design With Migrants In Municipalities, Uttishta Sreerama Varanasi, Rūta Šerpytytė, Thomas Olsson

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Applying participatory design in the public sector is both challenged and fuelled by the diversity and dynamism of changing populations, particularly with institutions looking to engage and integrate their migrant residents. We examine the capabilities of Participatory Design (PD) in a Finnish municipality, providing empirical evidence of the frictions and constraints of institutioning efforts towards equitable participation. Through the lens of institutioning, we analyse the political and social nature of institutional participatory approaches by the municipality. By engaging NGOs as civic intermediaries in between migrants and the public sector, we unpack the metacultural discourses, institutional strategies and policies that may …

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Designing With Care: Proposing An Ethical Canvas For Co-Design With Marginalised Groups, Hilkka Lydén, Soile Juujärvi, Satu Miettinen Jun 2026

Designing With Care: Proposing An Ethical Canvas For Co-Design With Marginalised Groups, Hilkka Lydén, Soile Juujärvi, Satu Miettinen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper addresses gaps in ethical guidance for socially oriented designers engaged in co-design with marginalised groups. It introduces an ethical canvas for planning and evaluating co-design, developed through a collaborative inquiry led by a practitioner-researcher with long experience in community-based design. The canvas was informed by the authoring team’s expertise in service design, ethical decision-making, and socially engaged design research. It makes ethical deliberation visible and actionable, especially where multiple or conflicting values are present. The canvas invites designers to reflect on their stance, engage with participants’ lived realities, and navigate tensions between institutional expectations and situated needs. It …

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Interspecies: A Collaborative Curatorial Inquiry Into New Romanticism, Mariana Pestana, Katerina Inglezaki, Carlos Pastor, Mathilde Gouin, Bernardo Gaeiras, Fernanda Costa, Mariana Simões Jun 2026

Interspecies: A Collaborative Curatorial Inquiry Into New Romanticism, Mariana Pestana, Katerina Inglezaki, Carlos Pastor, Mathilde Gouin, Bernardo Gaeiras, Fernanda Costa, Mariana Simões

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper presents a situated, plural, and horizontal curatorial methodology centered on questioning rather than providing solutions in response to posthuman thought and practice. It inquires whether we might be witnessing the emergence of a New Romanticism in contemporary design and architecture concerned with interspecies relations. This romantic turn arises by acknowledging subjectivity and imagination while engaging critically with the complexities of the climate crisis. To this end, this paper examines the making of an exhibition that assembled material evidence from science, art, technology, and design. The exhibition was developed through a three-step curatorial framework aligned with the decentering narratives …

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Enframing Creativity: Speculations On Design Education's Transformations In The Age Of Generative Ai, Alireza Sharifi, Michael Hohl, Fredrik Skatar Jun 2026

Enframing Creativity: Speculations On Design Education's Transformations In The Age Of Generative Ai, Alireza Sharifi, Michael Hohl, Fredrik Skatar

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The rapid advancement of AI technologies necessitates a shift from reactive adoption to speculative inquiry into long-term consequences for educational systems. Grounded in Martin Heidegger's "The Question Concerning Technology," this research examines the epistemology of AI in design education. Methodologically, it employs speculative futurology, integrating speculative design, critical design, and scenario planning to explore possible futures, culminating in a philosophical mapping framework based on Heidegger's critical stance. The findings reveal a critical temporal mismatch between rapid AI capability growth and slower educational adaptation, creating urgency for human-centered frameworks. The research concludes that design education's future depends on consciously cultivating Critical …

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The Lustre Of Hands, Ziyan Wang Jun 2026

The Lustre Of Hands, Ziyan Wang

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper introduces the lustre of hands—a term used to describe the gentle, subtle sheen that appears on things through long and caring contact with human hands. This concept challenges the visual paradigm and the pursuit of the new in contemporary design. It suggests that the traces of touch and time embody care, continuity, and human presence. Illustrated through the author’s example of a family inkstone, whose surface bears the lustre accumulated over generations, it offers design a powerful perspective: to appreciate the marks left by time and use to make things more fully used rather than wasted; to give …

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Mediating Sonic Worlds: Critical Approaches To Boundary Objects In Sound-Driven Design, Stefano Delle Monache, Nicolas Misdariis, Elif Özcan, Daniel Hug, Sara Lenzi, Sandra Pauletto, Davide Rocchesso, Simone Spagnol Jun 2026

Mediating Sonic Worlds: Critical Approaches To Boundary Objects In Sound-Driven Design, Stefano Delle Monache, Nicolas Misdariis, Elif Özcan, Daniel Hug, Sara Lenzi, Sandra Pauletto, Davide Rocchesso, Simone Spagnol

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This theme critically examines boundary objects – work arrangements, artefacts and representations facilitating cooperation across diverse social groups [1, 2] – at the intersection of sound and design. Our fundamental question is: how effectively can objects informed or defined by sound and listening fulfil this important role in design [3]? Sound-driven design [4, 5] addresses complex socio-technological challenges induced by sound to design for sonic habitability: positive auditory experiences that enhance well-being, foster social connection, and promote a more harmonious relationship between humans, their technologies, and their environments [6]. Sonic boundary objects leverage sound and listening to structure information and …

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Reframing Practice: Architectural Design Research And The Expanding Role Of The Architect, Manuela Triggianese, Juan Sádaba, Lee Moreau, Paolo Ciuccarelli, Kees Kaan, Georg Vrachliotis, María Risueño Jun 2026

Reframing Practice: Architectural Design Research And The Expanding Role Of The Architect, Manuela Triggianese, Juan Sádaba, Lee Moreau, Paolo Ciuccarelli, Kees Kaan, Georg Vrachliotis, María Risueño

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Architecture extends far beyond the design of buildings and cities, engaging with environmental, technological, and societal challenges. As practice evolves, so must the research that supports it. This theme track examines architecture’s expanding role in collaboration, communication, and service, positioning it as a research-driven discipline and a tool for inquiry, innovation, and responsiveness to communities and stakeholders. Operating across systems, social processes, and technological infrastructures, architecture is increasingly understood as an interdisciplinary practice. The track strengthens Architectural Design Research by addressing its evolving methodologies and its role in knowledge production. Contributions explore co-creation, artificial intelligence, data as design material, and …

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Design And More-Than-Human: Forming Ecologies Of Practices, Laura Popplow Jun 2026

Design And More-Than-Human: Forming Ecologies Of Practices, Laura Popplow

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This editorial introduces a set of emerging and consolidating practices in more-than-human design, situating them within a shifting landscape where coherence is not yet achieved—and may not be the goal. Rather than stabilizing the field, the contributions gathered in this meta-track move within an “ecology of practice” (Stengers) that remains attentive to frictions, partial connections, and unresolved tensions. Braiding both interrelated but also incoherent experiences, the authors of this panel work through relational agency, somatic literacy, and productive friction: outlining and reconfiguring design beyond human-centered paradigms. Across contexts—from biodesign and biodiverse architecture to embodied experiments with non-human perception—design is approached …

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Situated Pedagogies For Public Design Through Genai, Anca Serbanescu, Noor Murteza Jun 2026

Situated Pedagogies For Public Design Through Genai, Anca Serbanescu, Noor Murteza

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper explores the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) in design education through the lens of public design learning. Drawing on critical pedagogy and a situated classroom case study, it examines how GenAI reshapes the epistemic and ontological journey of becoming a public designer. The study foregrounds ethical, cognitive, and systemic challenges associated with human–AI co-creativity, highlighting the pedagogical implications for cultivating political sensitivity, collaborative reflexive capabilities, and design agency. Through an in-class activity involving persona co-creation with GenAI, the paper illustrates how students engage with plural and contextually grounded design practices. It concludes by advocating for inclusive, reflexive, and …

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Landlords' Attitudes Towards Age-Friendly Adaptations: Implications For The Well-Being Of Older Private Renters, Eva Severens, Ruth Stevens, An-Sofie Smetcoren, Ann Petermans Jun 2026

Landlords' Attitudes Towards Age-Friendly Adaptations: Implications For The Well-Being Of Older Private Renters, Eva Severens, Ruth Stevens, An-Sofie Smetcoren, Ann Petermans

DRS Biennial Conference Series

A large share of private rental housing in Flanders, Belgium, is unsuitable for older people who want to age in place, which can negatively affect their well-being. Since it is often unclear what changes tenants are allowed to make, this study examines landlords’ attitudes toward age-friendly housing adaptations and their impact on the tenant’s well-being through the self-determination theory. Using student-designed adaptations, exploratory interviews were conducted with five landlords. Our findings reveal landlords' negative attitudes frequently stem from the desire to protect their own well-being by avoiding potential hassle and property damage. However, this can negatively impact tenants’ feeling of …

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Playing With Possibility: Exploring Materiality, Affordances And Forms Of Participation Through Construction Play, Jesper Falck Legaard Jun 2026

Playing With Possibility: Exploring Materiality, Affordances And Forms Of Participation Through Construction Play, Jesper Falck Legaard

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Material exploration is central to both play and design, where imagination unfolds through tactile and social engagement. This study examines how materials participate as agents in creative exploration through three video-recorded construction-play sessions involving children aged five to six. Using reflexive thematic analysis, the study identifies three key findings: (1) expressive form elements augment material agency; (2) affordances are encountered through two distinct relational mechanisms — Affordance Emergence and Affordance Orientation — which mediate between imaginative states and material properties; and (3) participation shifts dynamically between contributing, cooperating, and collaborating. By clarifying how affordances bridge psychological engagement and material structure, …

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Unlocking Dormant Products: Systemic Leverage Points And Strategies For Household Circularity, Karin Aasa, Janne Huys, Helena Strömberg, Oskar Rexfelt Jun 2026

Unlocking Dormant Products: Systemic Leverage Points And Strategies For Household Circularity, Karin Aasa, Janne Huys, Helena Strömberg, Oskar Rexfelt

DRS Biennial Conference Series

A functioning circular economy relies on households recirculating products once they are no longer needed. However, households often accumulate products in wardrobes, cupboards, and other storage spaces. While contemporary design practices often reinforce this through encouraging new purchases and attachment, unlocking dormant products for reuse emerges as a new challenge for design. This paper draws on a systems analysis of how products move into, around, and sometimes out of the home, based on household interviews and visits. The analysis reveals how products slip out of use and become forgotten as stored mass, requiring significant effort to recirculate. We identify key …

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Weaving Relational Dynamics: Civil Servant Agency In Service Design Collaboration, Annukka Svanda, Martina Čaić, Tuuli Mattelmäki Jun 2026

Weaving Relational Dynamics: Civil Servant Agency In Service Design Collaboration, Annukka Svanda, Martina Čaić, Tuuli Mattelmäki

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper examines relational dynamics within a programmatic service design collaboration shaping public service development in Espoo, Finland. Over two years, a service design researcher collaborated with civil servants to co-create more inclusive employment practices. Drawing on iterative design interventions, observations, interviews, and informal everyday communications, reflexive analysis identifies three conditions that enabled collaborative design agency: relational alignment, infrastructuring coherence, and reflexive reconfiguration. These relational conditions highlight how civil servants actively advance design work and institutional learning. By bringing forward the concept of collaborative design agency, the study highlights how design in public services is an emergent capacity calling for …

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Making Sense Of Pain: Participatory Design Approaches To Understanding And Supporting People Living With Chronic Pain, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic, Jannisa Seck, Nathan Beetge, Cassandra Khoo, Stephen Reay Jun 2026

Making Sense Of Pain: Participatory Design Approaches To Understanding And Supporting People Living With Chronic Pain, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic, Jannisa Seck, Nathan Beetge, Cassandra Khoo, Stephen Reay

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Pain is universal, yet its invisible nature makes it difficult to express or understand. Understanding the intricate mechanics of chronic pain and how to manage it effectively can be particularly challenging. This paper describes research exploring how human-centred design, transdisciplinary collaboration, and participatory approaches can produce diverse design outcomes that support the management and treatment of chronic pain. Two case studies are presented: 1) an exploration of how pain might be expressed through illustration and storytelling to offer insight into lived experience, and 2) how experiences of pain could be made more tangible through physical artefacts to support patient–clinician communication. …

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Default Bodies: Challenging Gendered Norms In Fighting Games Through Participatory Design, Shalom Taiwo, Laura Pruszko Jun 2026

Default Bodies: Challenging Gendered Norms In Fighting Games Through Participatory Design, Shalom Taiwo, Laura Pruszko

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The over-sexualisation of female characters in video games peaked in the 1990s and 2000s and fighting games have been slow to move away from it. Their reliance on visual exaggeration to convey identity and fighting style makes this harder to change. With 48% of players today being women, this raises questions about how these portrayals persist. This paper examines how participatory approaches can be used to explore how women players respond to these designs through a survey, a within-subject evaluation task, and a co-design workshop. Participants recognised exaggeration as part of the genre’s identity but criticised its association with sexualisation. …

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Critical Reflectors, Bridge-Builders, And Sense-Makers: How Designers Intervene In Ai’S Reproduction Of Gender Inequality, Sanita Budihardjo, Kazjon Grace, Josie Young, Yiying Wu Jun 2026

Critical Reflectors, Bridge-Builders, And Sense-Makers: How Designers Intervene In Ai’S Reproduction Of Gender Inequality, Sanita Budihardjo, Kazjon Grace, Josie Young, Yiying Wu

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In recent years, AI has become increasingly entangled with design practice, whether as a tool, a design material, or a collaborator. Alongside these opportunities, it is necessary to recognise AI as a socio-technical system that reproduces existing gender hierarchies. Treating design as a political site of intervention; this paper examines how designers can ground their practice in addressing gender bias in AI. Drawing on a scoping review of gender bias in AI, feminist design perspectives, and existing interventions in design research, we argue that designers occupy a consequential role as critical reflectors, bridge-builders, and sense-makers, uniquely positioned to question how …

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Paper, Pixels, And Play: Designing A Trauma-Informed Ai Assessment Toolkit, Awais Hameed Khan, Angela Elvery, Dang Khuong Tran, Suvradip Maitra, Suzanna Fay, Paul Henman, Lyndal Sleep Jun 2026

Paper, Pixels, And Play: Designing A Trauma-Informed Ai Assessment Toolkit, Awais Hameed Khan, Angela Elvery, Dang Khuong Tran, Suvradip Maitra, Suzanna Fay, Paul Henman, Lyndal Sleep

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automated processes hold significant potential to enhance service user experiences, by augmenting or fully automating aspects of service delivery. However, if not carefully designed, these systems also risk creating unintended, widespread harms, at unprecedented speed and scale. Drawing upon trauma-informed principles and developed in collaboration with social service delivery practitioners, we designed the Trauma Informed AI Assessment Toolkit (TIAKIT). TIAKIT supports users in critically designing, reviewing, and evaluating current or planned AI service integrations. We report on the iterative design process of TIAKIT and its adaptation across three formats — analogue, digital, and design game. Findings …

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Designing For Radical Renewal: Innovation Outcomes Across Circular And Regenerative Approaches, Belinda Nors, Louise Møller Haase, Sara Nielsen Jun 2026

Designing For Radical Renewal: Innovation Outcomes Across Circular And Regenerative Approaches, Belinda Nors, Louise Møller Haase, Sara Nielsen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper defines regenerative design in relation to current collaborative, sustainability-oriented innovation. Production and consumption patterns are largely linear, with circular economy efforts largely focused on recycling. Regenerative approaches are emerging but underdeveloped. Literature describes the Regenerative worldview and theoretical framework, and the few papers on methodology and practice highlight a need for greater definition of the field. An actionable design- and innovation methodology for the regenerative field is lacking. We conduct a scoping review and define the Regenerative design approach in relation to the current Circular Oriented Design approaches. We present the characteristics of the Value Preserving and Regenerative …

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