From Question to Prototype:

Design Thinking for Interaction Research

April 20–21, 2026 · Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisbon, Portugal

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About the Workshop

Open to researchers, students, and practitioners at all levels — no prior design or robotics experience required. Join us for an intensive 2-day workshop on integrating design perspectives into HCI/HRI research. This workshop focuses on design as a tool for inquiry: how to structure studies, build prototypes, and ask the right questions to understand what users truly need.


Participants will get hands-on experience building a robot and customizing it to explore their own research question. The workshop emphasizes that users are experts in their own lives; our role as researchers is to design the right inquiries and tools to reveal insights about human needs and behaviors.

Schedule

Day 1 — Monday, April 20

Morning
Foundations & Lab Practice
  • 9:00–9:30 — Opening remarks from organizers
  • 9:30–10:30 — HRI/HCI Research Lightning Talks — 2-minute pitch from each participant with slides
  • 10:30–11:00 — Coffee break
  • 11:00–12:00 — Distinguished talk: “How to run a design-forward HCI/HRI lab” by Prof. Wendy Ju
  • 12:00–13:00 — Lunch (offered by LASIGE)
Afternoon
Problem Exploration & Robot Building
  • 13:00–13:30 — Introduction to afternoon activities & team matching
  • 13:30–14:30 — TiltyBot instructions and overview
  • 14:30–15:30 — Hands-on exploration: identifying trade-offs, research questions & peer feedback
  • 15:30–16:00 — Coffee break
  • 16:00–16:30 — Introduction of new interaction mode and customization
  • 16:30–18:00 — Exploration and data collection

Day 2 — Tuesday, April 21

Morning
Refinement & Presentation
  • 9:00–10:00 — Final touches and presentation preparation (coffee break running in parallel)
  • 10:00–11:00 — Team presentations
  • 11:00–11:30 — Closing remarks

The workshop is supported by Portuguese Fundação Ciência Tecnologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Lasige Lab UID/00408/2025, and FLAD.

Logistics

📍 Location

Building C6, Room C6.3.27 (3rd floor, Room 27)
Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Google Maps →

🚇 Getting There

By public transport:

  • Metro to Campo Grande station, then a short walk to the venue
  • OR Metro to Cidade Universitária station + approximately 10-minute walk

🍽️ Food & Meals

Lunch on Day 1 will be offered by LASIGE to all workshop participants. We will also have coffee breaks throughout both days.

For other meals and snacks, there are several cafés and restaurants nearby.

🧰 Materials

All required materials are ready and will be provided — no prior design or robotics experience needed!

Please bring your laptop and phone. Each work group should have an Android phone.

Full hardware and software instructions are available at the TiltyBot repository. You are free to review it before the workshop.

🎥 Recording

We may record parts of the workshop for documentation and research purposes. If you would prefer not to be recorded, please let us know by April 19. Otherwise we will assume your consent to be included.

Build Your Robot

TiltyBot

Participants will build and program a TiltyBot — a small robot platform you can customize to explore your research question.

TiltyBot Drive Mode 1 TiltyBot Drive Mode 2
TiltyBot Instructions

Organizers

Isabel Neto

Isabel Neto

Assistant Professor
Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisbon

Maria Teresa Parreira

Maria Teresa Parreira

PhD Candidate
Cornell University

Ilan Mandel

Ilan Mandel

PhD Candidate
Cornell University

Wendy Ju

Wendy Ju

Associate Professor
Cornell University

Join Us

Ready to explore design thinking for interaction research? Sign up for the workshop!

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