Unpacking Lived Experiences of Wizards of Oz

Paper in proceeding, 2026

In the Human-Robot Interaction community, Wizard of Oz (WoZ) is a commonly employed method where researchers aim to study user perceptions of robot technologies regardless of technical limitations. Despite the continued usage of WoZ, questions concerning ethical tensions and effects on the wizard remain. For instance, how do wizards experience interacting through technology, given the different roles and characters to enact, and the different environments to situate themselves in. In addition, the wizard’s experiences and affects on results, continues to be under-explored. The goal of this workshop is to surface ethical, practical, methodological, personal, and philosophical tensions in the WoZ method. Though a collaborative session, we seek to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be a wizard through eliciting first-person experiences of researchers. As a result, we hope to formulate guidelines for future wizards.