A framework for organizing the tools and techniques of participatory design

TLDR

Participatory Design has expanded over the past 20–30 years, engaging non‑designers across diverse domains and generating a wide array of methods, yet the proliferation of tools and techniques creates confusion about when and how to apply them. This paper proposes a framework to organize and clarify the selection of PD tools, techniques, and methods, aiming to aid the community in discussing applications and identifying future research directions.

Abstract

The field of Participatory Design (PD) has grown rapidly over the last 20 to 30 years. For more than two decades non-designers have been increasingly involved in various design activities through a large number of participatory design projects all over the world. The project aims in PD have developed from being mainly about ICT development to today include, for instance, space design, product development, industrial design, architecture, service- and transformation design. As every project is unique, it is necessary to decide which design approach(es), methods, tools and techniques to use in a specific project. Thus many practices for how to involve people in designing have been used and developed during the years. There is some confusion as to which tools and techniques to use, when, and for what purpose. Therefore we are proposing a framework to help organize the proliferation of tools, techniques and methods in hopes that the PD community will benefit by discussing relevant applications and identifying potential areas for further exploration.