Design as an agent of narratives: A conceptual framework and a first exploration in the context of inclusive paediatric mobility design

Abstract

Although much of human experience is qualitative, front-end design documentation typically defaults to quantification which can abstract, dilute or lose meaning and reasoning with regards to lived experiences. Narratives are a wellestablished channel for gathering rich qualitative insights around individual and collective experiences, perceptions and values. However, the potential to advance the role of design beyond simply an embodiment agent for dominant narratives-to an agent for uncovering, interrogating, speculating, and scaling a diversity of narrative ‘classes’ and ‘statuses’-is yet to be fully explored. This paper proposes a conceptual framework positioning design as an agent of narratives through three strategic narrative roles: (1) acknowledgement and capture, (2) negotiation and speculation, and (3) embedding and scaling. A first exploration in the context of inclusive paediatric mobility design is used to explore initial insights, implications and limitations of incorporating narratives, as well as their potential to amplify marginalised voices, inform and steer design practice, and bring about transformative impact.