A workshop by Katrin Nora Kober, Martin Murer, Olivia Jaques, Joanna Kowolik, Georg Regal and Verena Fuchsberger
Fab25 Czechia Conference, July 2025
Fab25 Czechia Conference, July 2025
Making Safer Spaces: Co-Creating Codes of Conduct in Makerspaces
At our workshop, we explored how to co-create codes of conduct (CoCs) in makerspaces through participatory, diversity-centered approaches. Bringing together makerspace practitioners and HCI researchers, we aimed to rethink how CoCs can meaningfully support our communities.
Building on an analysis of existing CoCs, we developed a new perspective that expands the focus from relationships between people to include relationships with things and especially tools within makerspaces. This perspective opened discussions on how tools and material engagements shape participation, accountability, and care in everyday making practices.
During the workshop, we shared and discussed a framework designed to support the creation or revision of CoCs, providing a practical guide for makerspaces aiming to foster inclusive, evolving codes that reflect their community’s realities.
Additionally, we developed a low-threshold communication strategy that playfully and accessibly addresses relevant aspects of CoCs through the lens of our relationships with things. Using posters, stickers, and badges, this approach offers makerspaces tangible entry points for conversations around participation, safety, and care, and is available online as a resource for others to adapt and use.
