Catherine Wieczorek

Diagramming as Method: Tracing Temporal Entanglements in Ethnography

Diagramming is widely used across disciplines to explain complex phenomena, but they are often treated as static, final artifacts rather than iterative, material-discursive practices. In this paper, we explore diagramming as a generative research method for ethnographic work in HCI, emphasizing its potential to support iterative exploration, meaning-making, and collaboration. While diagrams have a long history in anthropology and design for mapping systems, actors, and workflows, their application as an embedded method in ethnography has received less attention in HCI. Drawing on two ethnographic cases—a sexual healthcare intervention in Chicago and eviction case filings in Atlanta—we demonstrate how diagramming reveals temporalities in socio-technical systems. We identify two patterns: (1) extreme time compression, where events and processes converge to create a heightened sense of urgency and acceleration; and (2) time gaps, where disconnections or interruptions lead to breakdowns or inefficiencies. These findings highlight diagramming’s value in uncovering the interplay of temporal dynamics.