Speculating with the body: Imagining designs for women’s embodied empowerment within the practice of feminist self-defense

Feminist self-defense is a form of victim prevention training with a plethora of positive physical, mental, and social outcomes. In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) self-defense is still a relatively under-researched topic. As such, inspired by HCI’s recent interest in feminist causes and corporeal practices, the goal of the study is to explore how embodied interaction design can empower beginner self-defense practitioners. To do so, the study was conducted via two methods: semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, and a participatory speculative design workshop with novice practitioners. This resulted in several speculative design concepts based on the use of felt experiences as a design resource. The concepts demonstrate how design can be used as a vehicle for imagining feminist technology that challenges gender norms and plays the role of scaffolding for cultivating embodied empowerment.