"It was Colonel Mustard in the Study with the Candlestick": Using Artifacts to Create An Alternate Reality Game-The Unworkshop

Workshops are used for academic social networking, but connections can be superficial and result in few enduring collaborations. This unworkshop offers a novel interactive format to create deep connections, peer- learning, and produces a technology-enhanced experience. Participants will generate interactive technological artifacts before the unworkshop, which will be used together and orchestrated at the unworkshop to engage all participants in an alternate reality game set in local places at the conference.

💡 Research Summary

The paper proposes an “unworkshop” – a non‑traditional workshop format for the CHI conference that replaces the usual presentation‑centric sessions with an interactive, artifact‑driven alternate reality game (ARG) centered on a murder‑mystery narrative. Recognizing that conventional workshops often yield only superficial networking, the authors draw on team‑building, unconference, and collaborative‑game literature to design a format that fosters deep, trust‑based relationships and peer learning.

In the pre‑workshop phase, participants answer a “call for mavericks” by submitting prototypes of physical or digital artifacts (e‑textiles, Arduino‑controlled devices, LED maps, “poison‑squirting” accessories, etc.) together with a brief description of their function and how they could integrate into the overall story. Submissions are evaluated for originality, functionality, and narrative fit; early‑round participants receive feedback to refine their concepts.

During the two‑day workshop, the first day focuses on ice‑breakers, improvisational exercises, and collaborative ideation. Participants demonstrate their artifacts, negotiate narrative arcs, and co‑design game mechanics such as timers, random‑event generators, and audience‑interaction constraints. The second day is dedicated to synthesizing all artifacts into a cohesive murder‑mystery dinner theatre that is performed for the broader CHI audience and the public. Spectators become active players: they provide clues, trigger device‑based events, and influence the story’s outcome, thereby blurring the line between designer and audience.

The authors articulate three core research questions: (1) What level of structural guidance is optimal for fostering effective collaboration and lasting professional ties? (2) How does audience participation affect learning outcomes and network formation among participants? (3) What design insights emerge from integrating tangible computing artifacts into a live narrative experience?

Recruitment leverages multiple channels – CHI mailing lists, UbiComp/PerCom forums, IGDA chapters, hackerspaces, and direct invitations to scholars in mixed‑reality, pervasive games, wearable computing, interactive fiction, and performance art. The interdisciplinary mix is intended to enrich the co‑design process and broaden the workshop’s appeal.

The paper situates the unworkshop within prior work on team‑building exercises that use role‑play and shared missions to build trust, and on unconference models that empower participants to shape content. By combining bricolage (ad‑hoc artifact creation) with improvisational theatre, the authors propose a novel methodological contribution to HCI design research.

Anticipated outcomes include stronger, more durable professional connections, enhanced peer learning through exposure to diverse artifact prototypes, and empirical data (pre/post surveys, network analyses, audience feedback) that can be used to evaluate the efficacy of the format. The authors envision extending the unworkshop into a longitudinal field study, refining design guidelines, and testing the model across different cultural and institutional contexts to assess its generalizability.