Abstract
This paper explores Relational Design as a choreography of practices that cultivate the skills necessary to navigate differences and build community within design processes. It promotes a design practice that sees relationship-building as a core function of creating long-term stewardship in participatory worldmaking. The relational practices presented here emerge from outside traditional design disciplines, drawing primarily from community organizing, with an understanding that change occurs through networks of interdependent relationships. The paper outlines a trans-experiential set of practices: honoring place as kin, revealing and redistributing power, cultivating a culture of accountability, facilitating dialogue, and hosting belonging and celebration. These practices strengthen multimodal design literacies that focus on care, repair, and regeneration. Ultimately, the paper positions Relational Design as a movement for fostering pluralist, coalition-based approaches to systemic regeneration.
Keywords
Relational design practices; Relational design; Human-to-Human IXD; Design Choreography
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.4
Citation
Dorn, E.,and Nelson, K.(2025) Human-to-human interaction design: Choreographing relational practices, in Brandt, E., Markussen, T., Berglund, E., Julier, G., Linde, P. (eds.), Nordes 2025: Relational Design, 6-8 August, Oslo, Norway. https://doi.org/10.21606/nordes.2025.4
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Human-to-human interaction design: Choreographing relational practices
This paper explores Relational Design as a choreography of practices that cultivate the skills necessary to navigate differences and build community within design processes. It promotes a design practice that sees relationship-building as a core function of creating long-term stewardship in participatory worldmaking. The relational practices presented here emerge from outside traditional design disciplines, drawing primarily from community organizing, with an understanding that change occurs through networks of interdependent relationships. The paper outlines a trans-experiential set of practices: honoring place as kin, revealing and redistributing power, cultivating a culture of accountability, facilitating dialogue, and hosting belonging and celebration. These practices strengthen multimodal design literacies that focus on care, repair, and regeneration. Ultimately, the paper positions Relational Design as a movement for fostering pluralist, coalition-based approaches to systemic regeneration.