Storywork & Reciprocity: On the Design of an Audio Documentary that Extends HCI Research back to Participants

Participatory design means building reciprocal relationships with research participants and opening up conversations with larger communities. We describe and reflect on our design-led research of creating an hour-long audio documentary. Participants’ desires to better understand the experiences of others within our study is our key motivation. We see the creation of the documentary as an important reciprocal step to invite further participation within a longer-term, multi-year project. Rooted in a decolonial perspective on translating academic knowledge to the general public, our work builds on our own prior fieldwork with 9 people with blindness on their reminiscence experiences. The audio documentary aims to deliver insights from research findings and inquiries, inspired by participants' stories through their voices in the interview recordings. The documentary serves as a gift for participation and a genuine invitation for future research. We conclude with opportunities for future HCI research and practice.