Evocative of experience: crafting cross-cultural digital narratives through stories and portraits

Abstract

Storytelling has become a notable part of HCI research on experience, not only as a method of inquiry but also as a focus to design interaction. Much of this work takes for granted that spoken or written stories are an accessible way to engage users in reflecting on and recounting their experiences. This paper outlines exploratory workshops conducted to inquire into cross-cultural stories with vulnerable women. Taking a narrative inquiry approach we co-created digital stories and digital portraits with a group highlighting different perspectives of women's experiences over time. The approach underlined the importance of crafting and listening to stories as evocative, imaginative responses to rather than representative of experience. The paper is a report of a situated adaptation of experience-centred design methods for working sensitively with users on stories.