Autoethnography can be used in design to deepen the reflexive analysis of the participants but also of the researchers, especially in sensible fieldwork. This article analyzes the emotional journey of two researchers in a healthcare co-design context, specifically Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Our research aimed to understand patient experiences with home dialysis and other techniques, while the COVID-19 pandemic (2021 to 2023) required innovative adjustments due to restricted fieldwork. Our mixed-methods approach integrated co-design, research/creation, social innovation by design, and sensory ethnography. We examine how emotional dimensions in autoethnographic research shaped our methodological choices, using a narrative emotional journey as a tool. The practice of narrative tools during and after the fieldwork is analysed as a contribution to autoethnography in design research. Our analysis highlights the relevance of structuring autoethnography around the researcher’s narrative emotional journey, communication practices, and co-design media materiality, to reveal how project conditions influenced methodology. This approach underscored the performative nature of design material culture in fostering relationships with participants. Our findings offer both an autoethnographic tool and a tripartite framework for reflexive analysis, offering insights for research in constrained and sensitive contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]