EXPANDING THE MARGINS (EXM26) International Design Research Conference 3–4 DECEMBER 2026, BARCELONA Open University of Catalonia (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) Rambla del Poblenou, 156 Carrer Perú, 52 08018 Barcelona Contact: designconference@uoc.edu SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL Submit your proposal here KEY DATES Publication of Call for Papers: February 2026 Submission deadline: 30 April 2026 Notification of acceptance: 1 July 2026 Online registration: 2 September to 31 October 2026 PUBLICATIONS As an outcome of the conference, the proceedings will be published with an ISBN, along with a special issue in an academic journal (to be determined). REGISTRATION Register here from 2 September to 31 October 2026. CALL FOR PAPERS The conference aims to explore the richness and diversity of approaches to design research, as well as their potential to address the challenges of contemporary society. You are invited to submit proposals, reflections, and research projects related to the following lines of specialization in design: Design and new political scenarios — design against fascism, citizen participation, and social justice Design and professional practice — creativity?, cultural narratives, employability, and precariousness Design and academia — teaching experiences in design and/or the trajectory of design researchers Design and new visualities, graphics, and image — defining visual culture in physical and digital spaces Design, information visualization, and cartographies — the role of design in scientific communication Design in the peripheries — practicing design from non-normative spaces Design and the climate crisis — approaches, reflections, and/or solutions regarding design’s role in the climate emergency Design and its historical debts — filling the gaps in Western design narratives (gender, postcolonialism, class) Design, health, and well-being — approaches and experiences from design practice Design and possible futures — speculative technologies, methodologies, and imaginaries to be built Participation Formats Participation in the conference may take the form of paper presentations or posters. Additionally, other formats may be considered depending on the proposals received. Submissions are accepted in Spanish, Catalan, and English. Papers Abstracts must be submitted through the online form. They should be 500 words and include the research question and/or approach, theoretical references, methodology, and, when applicable, results. Posters Complete freedom is given regarding the design and format of the poster, with a recommended maximum size of A2 (420 × 594 mm). Posters must be submitted as PDF files and should include the research approach, methodology, and references. Once accepted, authors are responsible for printing their posters. Other formats You may propose alternative formats, which will be evaluated by the committee. Submission Submit your proposal and check the key dates here. PRESENTATION Research and design are deeply intertwined: while research is an inherent component of design as a professional activity, academic research must accompany its development as a discipline. At the beginning of the 21st century, coinciding with the rise of interaction design, user experience design, and game design, Brenda Laurel compiled a catalogue of research experiences in her book Design Research (2003). From this perspective—where advances in design techniques and methods merge, more or less organically, with the more academic or theoretical aspects of the discipline—other approaches have emerged and consolidated in recent years: co-design, design thinking, universal design, or speculative design, to name a few. Regarding design research, thirty years after Christopher Frayling’s Research in Art and Design (1995), several authors broadly agree on the three types of research carried out in design. Research about design (Cross and Findeli, 1999) is approached from historical, cultural, and related perspectives, while research for design (Dorst, 2008; Friedman, 2003; Roth, 1999; Sanders, 2008) takes place within design projects and at any stage of their development. Finally, research through design (Jonas, 2007; Findeli, 1995) uses design and its methods to produce results that may contribute both to design and to other disciplines. Furthermore, when research is aligned with the purpose for which design is carried out, we enter the realm of “design for” (social and climate justice, citizen participation and democracy, etc.). This context is shaped by methodologies from the social sciences: anthropology and sociology of design, STS, and others. As a result, research is situated at fertile intersections between disciplines. What perspective does design bring to research? Which methods and principles are fundamental to research? What challenges and scenarios emerge from its hybridization with other disciplines? Beyond essentialisms and acknowledging the multiplicity of approaches present in design research, the international design conference Expanding the Margins (EXM26) aims to delve into this diversity and its potential to address the challenges of contemporary society. We look forward to welcoming you in Barcelona, from December 3 to 4, 2026, at the UOC campus. The conference will feature two keynote lectures by internationally recognized figures in the field of design.