Overview
This one-day, in-person workshop builds on the 1st Positech Workshop at CSCW 2024* by focusing on practical ways to expand beyond reactive problem-solving and build capacity for proactive goal setting and generating pathways forward.
By drawing connections between design thinking and hope theory, we aim to understand how researchers might chart directions in the face of uncertainty, complexity, and constraint. Through activities such as problem-reframing exercises, building a shared taxonomy of design methods, and reflecting on what it means to cultivate hopeful research trajectories for ourselves, we will explore ways to support researchers and research communities in navigating complex societal challenges with greater imagination and agency.
> Learn more about Positech: https://positech.github.io
*participation in the 2024 workshop is not required to attend this one.
Workshop Agenda
| Time | Activity and Description |
|---|---|
| 9:00-9:25am | Welcome & Introduction |
| 9:25-10:00am | Participant introduction |
| 10:00-10:10am | Workshop goal writing |
| 10:10-10:30am | Coffee break |
| 10:30-12:00pm | Activity #1: Design exercises - Design exercise development (40 min.) - Design fiction exercise (40 min.) |
| 12:00-1:40pm | Lunch break |
| 1:40-2:00pm | Nap time & stretch |
| 2:00-3:00pm | Panel: Practices and Futures of Hopeful Research - Dr. Alexis Hiniker - Dr. Gillian Hayes - Dr. Matt Ratto - Dr. Angela D. R. Smith |
| 3:00-3:10pm | Hope journaling & reflection |
| 3:10-3:30pm | Coffee break & project pitch set-up |
| 3:30-4:20pm | Project pitching & project planning |
| 4:20-4:40pm | Group & individual plan sharing |
| 4:40-5:00pm | Debrief, closing remark |
Panelists
Organizers
Call for Participation
Submit (by Aug. 18th) >We invite 10-15 individuals interested in exploring design's role in transforming complex challenges into constructive opportunities to participate in our one-day, in-person workshop. Submissions are welcomed in several forms:
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Position papers or drafts (1-3 pages, ACM single-column format, excluding references). Alternative formats such as design fiction are also encouraged.
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"Encore" submissions of previously published conference or journal papers relevant to the workshop themes.
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Initial research ideas submitted as extended abstracts (1-3 pages, ACM single-column format, excluding references).
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Design as hope in and beyond research: A free-form submission showcasing how design serves as a source of hope, whether in research or everyday life. This could be a short design fiction paper, sketch, diary entry, or any other creative expression accompanied by a brief note on how the work relates to our workshop theme. Be creative!
We ask all attendees to provide an accessible PDF of their submission.
The selection of participants will involve a light review process by the organizers, who will evaluate submissions based on their relevance to the workshop's theme, overall quality, and the diversity of perspectives they bring.
Submission Link: https://forms.gle/3bRybFF3UhChYGpH6 (Deadline: Aug. 18th)