Research regarding physical and cognitive aspects of product development usually relies on inquiry methods that focus on the collection of data from the practice studied (e.g. anthropometric) and the creation of design solutions (e.g. better grips). This paper suggests that design inquiry into social practices can benefit from moving beyond the data collection / data application focus, into a two-way flow of accountability between the “practice space” and the “design space”. To bring focus to the social and organizational issues in designing for the inclusion of marginalized people or practices, we introduce the notion of “contributive performance” as a short-term goal within the overall design process. Contributive performances are efforts to contribute to the ongoing practice of another in a way that can be assessed by the intended audience, even contributions that may appear trivial or peripheral to the main design agenda. The paper draws on a design case working with Somali and Arabic mother tongue teachers and their students in Sweden to develop interactive technologies to support their teaching and learning.