Exploring theater of the oppressed for participatory design

Design challenges refer to a difficulty of corresponding human and contextual complexity (i.e. needs, roles, and resources) in design practices. Such an issue calls for combining deep investigations with relevant design experiences. We propose a workshop for disentangling and discussing design practices by adopting the Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. These techniques allow enacting personal performances as well as the construction of a shared narrative about the participants' roles, needs, and resources. By this workshop, we aim to improve the participants' competence in understanding people's needs and developing a design solution accordingly. Finally, possible outcomes are: a special issue of an international peer reviewed journal, and/or a live performance that the conference attendees can enjoy as an experiential design occasion.