odd invitations and guerrilla prototyping

My research explores how design can give strangers an excuse to interact. Through Odd Invitations, I use defamiliarisation to make familiar objects and everyday routines slightly strange. Interactive technologies, playful props, or simply an object out of place can interrupt habitual behaviour and open up space for curiosity. I am particularly interested in how much disruption an invitation needs — enough to attract attention and make engagement tempting or playful, without becoming intrusive or obnoxious. That balance largely depends on the social norms of the particular context the design is placed in. What feels playful at a party might feel awkward on a train, while a beach offers a different set of possibilities.

Designing for these situations requires an approach that is sensitive to the dynamic nature of the environment. Through Guerrilla Prototyping, I bring making and experimentation into the often messy and unpredictable settings of everyday life. I build, observe, and adapt prototypes on site, learning from hesitation and avoidance as much as participation. Through this work, I explore how design can create openings for spontaneous connection, while leaving people free to ignore an invitation, take it up, or make it their own.

I am close to defending my PhD and am looking for postdoctoral opportunities.