Enhancing the potential of situated playful interactions through design to rethink architectural spaces

Abstract

Despite growing interest in exploring situated playful interactions with technologies, how this interplay might shape architectural spaces remains underexplored. As playful technologies weave into daily life, their adoption depends on whether physical spaces can support these interactions. To address this gap, we explored how playfulness could inform spatial transformation through three speculative co-design workshops (N = 22) using a deckbuilding setup with architects, product designers, and facilitators. Through thematic analysis of 83 design concepts and 28 architectural speculations, we identified seven design considerations within three architectural aspects: transition, togetherness, and discomfort. To our knowledge, this is the earliest work to present architectural design speculations while taking space into account in situated play design and also illustrating design considerations for implementing architectural spatial changes to accommodate playful technologies in homes. These contributions offer possibilities for architects and design researchers to reimagine architectural environments and guide future practical recommendations.