CONTENT OF SUBMISSIONS
We call on potential participants to submit short (approx. 1-2 pages) "speculations" on the future of participatory design (PD) with religious or spiritual communities. Hearkening back to the roots of PD, we invite potential participants to speculate in a "UTOPIAN" (or at least hopeful) way on what cooperative technological design and research with religious or spiritual communities could (or should) look like in the near future (2030). These speculations may take the form of (including, but not limited to):
imaginary paper abstracts,
position papers,
diary entries,
field notes,
works of art,
manifestos,
and technologies and tools.
Your submission does not have to follow the usual outline of a scientific paper, but should include a title, the authors involved, and the speculation. We also ask you to submit a short summary of your speculation (approx. one sentence).
We invite the participants to be creative in their contribution while maintaining a central focus on the key question of what PD with religious or spiritual communities could (or should) look like in the near future (2030). Among the considerations that may emerge in this speculative work about the future are:
how HCI researchers and/or designers should engage in the religious/spiritual practices of the target community (e.g., attending worship, engaging in meditation, etc.),
how the religious/spiritual community’s needs and wants can be centered and what HCI researchers and/or designers can do to create sustainable technologies and long-term relationships with these communities,
how the values of a spiritual/religious community can directly inform the research and design process, and what religious/spiritual values or practices may be more broadly incorporated in PD and other HCI work (e.g., decision-making among the Society of Friends, etc.),
how actively practicing HCI researchers and/or designers should negotiate their status as members of a spiritual/religious community and as researchers and/or designers,
how the tools and technologies that are used by and/or developed with a religious/spiritual community can best meet the needs of that community, and what those tools and technologies may look like,
and how HCI researchers and/or designers should negotiate situations where the best option might be to not design or to continue research.
This call for speculations is open to HCI researchers, designers, and practitioners; theologians and religious studies scholars (especially with a focus on digital religion); religious or spiritual leaders; and members of religious or spiritual communities. The speculations will be used to generate discussion and ground the collaborative work during the workshop. Accepted speculations will be posted on the workshop website as open access before the workshop, and individuals will be given the option to anonymize their submissions or not share them publicly.
To submit your speculation, please follow the instructions on the Submissions page.