Back to Phase 2: Conceptual Design
Participatory design is typically done in a group workshop setting but can ultimately take many forms and span a broad range of activities. The real constant is the involvement of “non-designers” in idea generation. This direct collaboration with stakeholders, subject matter experts, and end users allows for ideas to be validated as they are created, speeding up the design process and increasing the chances of user adoption.
Use when you have access to subject matter experts or end users who are willing to engage in the design process, and preferably have some amount of stake in your design outcomes. Participating in the design can help develop a sense of ownership, so this method is particularly effective with end user of systems with smaller user communities.
Offering your end users early investment and ownership in the process can also help reduce their resistance to the changes the designs will require of them, once implemented.
There is a large range of activities that can be conducted as part of a participatory design workshop. In fact, many of the methods covered in this playbook work well in a workshop session, such as journey mapping, service blueprinting and card sorting.
As your participants are largely not going to immediately be comfortable taking on the role of “designer,” it’s important that chosen activities grant them opportunities to participate in multiple ways. Further, the order of activities should prime your participants, such that they are introduced and immersed into the problem space, then subsequently given a chance to provide solutions.