Design for Adversarial Growth: Post-Traumatic Growth, Resilience and Subjective Wellbeing

Authors

• Xueliang Li, School of Design, Southern University of Science and TechnologyFollow
• Haian Xue, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji UniversityFollow
• Siyuan Huang, Department of Design, Management and Production, University of TwenteFollow

Abstract

Adversity is an inherent part of human life. This paper adopts a transformative approach to adversity, viewing it as fertile ground for personal growth. Through a theory-driven narrative review, we synthesise insights from positive psychology, post-traumatic growth, resilience, and wellbeing-driven design to introduce the Design for Adversarial Growth (DAG) framework, a guide for shaping designers' motivations and cultivating their sensibilities when designing for adversarial growth. This framework encompasses three key components of adversarial growth, each illustrated through design examples. We further discuss its contributions to design research and practice, as well as the ethical considerations for its application. With this framework, we seek to advance the discourse on wellbeing-driven design by situating it within a broader theoretical and practical scope.

Keywords

design for wellbeing; adversarial growth; post-traumatic growth; resilience

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.973

Citation

Li, X., Xue, H., and Huang, S. (2026) Design for Adversarial Growth: Post-Traumatic Growth, Resilience and Subjective Wellbeing, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.973

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License