May I Share a Park Bench with You? – Horizontalizing through Encounters with the Duck

Co-existing in more-than-human cities requires a shift from the anthropocentric methods of design. This paper details our experiences from a residency in a city park, where we conducted design explorations to share a bench with a Duck. As more-than-human design gains traction, HCI is developing new methods and positionalities. We use Wakkary's design-with [65] to critically reflect on our process with the Duck. Through the concept of horizontality, we account for a repositioning of the human designer alongside other more-than-human beings, moving away from dominant human perspectives in design processes and becoming posthuman subjects. We contribute with an example of working with horizontality, providing additional nuances and insights. We offer three additional dimensions: spatial, agential, and temporal horizontality. Finally, we discuss ideas to further mobilize the concept and the potential of asking polite questions to non-humans.