Design is storied, and stories are designed
Do you make use of storyteling in your research? How do stories work in design in HCI? What types of knowledge can stories produce? Researchers have long used narrative methods such as scenarios, design fictions, and personas. Recently, there has been a broader turn towards storytelling forms like fabulations, epics, memoirs, autospeculation, design events, site-writing, and counterstories. This workshop aims to explore the growing role of stories in HCI and design, emphasizing storytelling as an active method of inquiry rather than just a tool for dissemination.
Workshop Goals: We will focus on the role of storytelling in design and HCI, the craft of storytelling, relations between fiction, truth, and knowledge and finally the risk, tensions and limitations of using stories in HCI. Through writing exercises and discussions participants will reflect on how storytelling techniques (plot, character, voice, etc.) can reveal new knowledge in areas such as more-than-human design, feminist HCI, and auto-genres.
We invite participants to submit a 1-2 page story along with a 1-page reflection positioning the story in relation to HCI (submission Format: 2-4 pages following the ACM CHI 2025 template). The story can be a draft or finished piece and may include visuals, though we encourage a focus on written text. We welcome experimental storytelling formats and submissions that reflect on the process and challenges of writing within a research context. Submissions are due February 13th February 20th (deadline extended). We will facilitate hybrid participation.
HCI Design Stories 