“The Vision Picnic”: A Metaphor-Driven Workshop Framework for Personal Vision-Making through Collaborative Self-Exploration

Abstract: In a rapidly changing contemporary society saturated with diverse choices, individuals often find themselves in a "food court where they don't know what they truly want to eat." In this environment, it has become increasingly difficult for individuals to draw a clear future for themselves (to make a "handmade bento"). This study proposes and reports on the design and implementation of "The Vision Picnic," a novel workshop framework that takes a human-centered approach to this challenge. The primary objective of this workshop is to support participants in a process of self-exploration and future-self conceptualization in an enjoyable and intuitive manner by employing the familiar and creative metaphor of "making a bento for a picnic." This paper analyzes this framework and its impact on participants, and considers its effectiveness and future challenges.The workshop is designed as a journey for participants to create their own "special future bento." The process is structured into three main steps, designed to elicit fundamental abilities for vision-making: Subjective Ability (the ability to find purpose and value from a subjective and original perspective = "a tongue that trusts one's 'likes'"), Imaginative Ability (the ability to expand the image of a desirable world = "a recipe book for drawing unseen 'feasts'"), and Practical Ability (the ability to organize means to realize the formed image = "the skill to 'cook' ideas").Step 1 is Ingredient Gathering (Self-Exploration). In this step, participants open their "refrigerator of the heart" to take out "ingredients," which represent their personal "likes" and "strengths." The specific task is to freely list about 20 things they "like" or find "fun." Participants are given hints, such as using word association, and are encouraged to include simple daily pleasures as valuable ingredients. This is followed by a dialogue session where pairs "taste-test" each other's ingredients. Through questions like, "What kind of flavor (enjoyment) does that ingredient have?" and "Do you have any 'soul food' you've loved since childhood?", participants examine their ingredients (= things they like and enjoy).Step 2 is Recipe Making (Vision-Making). This step involves combining the gathered ingredients to create an exciting "original recipe," which represents a desired future self. For example, participants might combine "expanding knowledge," "beer," and "cafe" into a recipe for a "Knowledge Brewery Cafe Owner." To stimulate recipe ideas, the workshop includes an exercise called the "'Food Report' from a Future Gourmet," where participants imagine themselves at 80 years old as a "gourmet who has savored life to the fullest" and write a letter of advice to their present self.Step 3 is Packing the Lunch Box (Action Planning). Based on the completed recipe, this final step is about deciding on the "first bite" that can be taken starting from the next day. To realize their created vision, participants write down a concrete action plan of what they can do "Today," "This Week," "This Month," and "This Year." Emphasis is placed on defining an immediate, small first step, such as "Today: Find one beer bar online for reference."Qualitative feedback from participants and analysis of their work yielded several key findings. First, the effectiveness of the metaphor-based experience design was demonstrated. The friendly metaphors of a "picnic" and "bento" lowered the psychological barrier to the introspective theme of vision-making and encouraged participants to engage with the process enjoyably. Second, the importance of dialogue integrated into the process was confirmed. Through "taste-testing" with others, participants gained a higher resolution of their own values and preferences that they might not have noticed alone, with one participant noting it was "an opportunity to realize what kind of flavor I liked!" Dialogue was effective in deepening self-exploration and helping individuals find a direction for their vision. At the same time, several challenges became apparent. The "Recipe Making" step was particularly difficult, and some participants were unable to formulate a satisfactory vision within the allotted time. Feedback such as, "I thought there might be recipes that become visible by talking with various members," suggested room for improvement in how dialogue pairs are formed.

Keywords: Vision-Making, Metaphor-Driven Design, Workshop Design

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007143

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