We explore whether idiographic design, a category of interaction design
that focuses upon responding to detailed personal accounts of
individuals' practices, can be used to support interaction designers in
responding to the complex and multifaceted design space posed by live
performance. We describe and reflect upon the application of an
idiographic approach during the design of Waves, an interface for live
VJ performance. This approach involved a close and dialogical engagement
with the practices and experiences of an individual live performer,
during a series of semi-structured interviews and then the discussion
and iteration of an evolving prototypical design. Reflection on the
experience of applying this approach highlights idiographic design as a
practical means to support interaction designers in proposing innovative
designs that respond sensitively to the kinds of subtle and complex
issues that underpin people's lived and felt experiences of live
performance and, potentially, many other domains.