Abstract: 

Human identity is never singular or stable: it is lived as fluid, relational, and context-dependent. Yet many HCI practices-from demographic surveys and interface defaults to personalization systems-rely on rigid categories that flatten lived experience and marginalize those who do not fit neatly within them. Building on prior work in machine learning that critiques how datasets constrain identity, this workshop expands the conversation to HCI, exploring how categorical framings shape design, research, and everyday interactions in the context of technology.

We bring together HCI researchers, designers, and community partners to ask what it means to design for identities that are hybrid, shifting, and “in-between.” Through collaborative activities, participants will reflect on their own research practices and co-develop alternative framings of identity as contextual and evolving. To ground these discussions in lived experience, we partner with SkinMutts, a cultural platform that creates visual languages for expressing hybrid identities. Workshop outcomes will be translated into accessible formats, including a contribution to SkinMutts Magazine supported by collective no:topia, bridging academic debate with wider publics.

By creating space for dialogue across disciplines and communities, this workshop invites the CHI community to imagine what HCI systems might look like if identity were treated not as a fixed label but as a dynamic and relational process.

To participate, follow the instructions in the “Call for Participation” 

Submit material to: betweenbeyond@outlook.com

🆕 Deadline EXTENDED: Monday, 23 February, 2026 (AOE) 

Previous deadline: Thursday, 12 February, 2026 (AOE)