Participation as a matter of concern in participatory design

Abstract

This article starts from the paradox that, although participation is a defining trait of participatory design (PD), there are few explicit discussions in the PD literature of what constitutes participation. Thus, from a point of departure in Actor-Network Theory (ANT), this article develops an analytical understanding of participation. It is argued that participation is a matter of concern, something inherently unsettled, to be investigated and explicated in every design project. Specifically, it is argued that (1) participation is an act overtaken by numerous others, rather than carried out by individuals and (2) that participation partially exists in all elements of a project. These traits are explicated in a design project called 'Teledialogue', where the participants are unfolded as networks of reports, government institutions, boyfriends, social workers and so on. The argument is synthesised as three challenges for PD: (1) participants are network configurations, (2) participation is an aspect of all project activities and (3) there is no gold standard for participation.

Participatory design in an era of participation

“…These experimental practices rely on open-ended processes of design and on value-based strategies of engagement which will allow meaning-and decision-making to emerge in often contentious private and public contexts (Iversen, Halskov, and Leong 2012;Andersen et al 2015). Such in situ explorations of sustainable change between diverse stakeholders are constantly evolving.…”

Métodos e instrumentos de apoio ao codesign no processo de projeto de edifícios

“…Embora muitos textos abordem a participação de usuários ao longo das últimas décadas, em diferentes áreas, ainda falta uma definição clara do termo (KUJALA, 2003;MAGNUSSON;MATTHING;KRISTENSSON, 2003;ANDERSEN et al, 2015). Para Granath, Lindahl e Rehal (1996), o projeto participativo pode ser definido como um PP em que se envolvem de algum modo diferentes intervenientes, para melhorar seus resultados ou o próprio processo.…”

Shifting Conversations for Sustainability Transitions Using Participatory Design Visioning

“…Has substantial knowledge about one or more aspects of urban context in regards to climate change. We also adopted a Latourian position and framed participants as network configurations (with official and unofficial components) bringing in other in-direct (intentional or unintentional) participants rather than stand-alone subjects (Andersen et al, 2015). This alleviated the problematique of ensuring full representation of stakeholders in large, highly-complex systems (such as cities as in our case) to a certain extent.…”