Summary
Have you ever been a part of a participatory process or use of a participatory method only to find that it fell short of any real shift of power dynamics? Have you ever compared notes with another participatory designer only to find out their definition of participatory design is different than your own? Have you faced opposition from your organization in practicing design in a more participatory way? What does it even mean to practice participatory design in the civic space, for people in our society to be engaged in the practice of designing ways in which our societies can flourish? Join us, come into the conversation, and see what Victor Udoewa has to say about such experiences, the different definitions of participatory design and how participatory design can actually be used to reinforce hierarchies. One way he has found to dismantle that system is to practice radical participatory design. He will share what that means, how it looks, and how you can begin moving in that direction along with a direct challenge to our community of designers in regards to our own power.
Key Insights
-
•
Participatory design is ancient and inseparable from community history, not just a 20th-century invention.
-
•
Traditional design-as-facilitation reinforces power hierarchies as facilitators control decision-making and participant inclusion.
-
•
Radical participatory design requires community members to be full and majority team members, owning outcomes and narratives.
-
•
Facilitation is a form of power; transferring facilitation roles to community members is essential but challenging.
-
•
True empathy in design involves intellectual, emotional, and compassionate components, which are rarely fully achieved.
-
•
Radical participatory design naturally supports trauma-responsive and asset-based design methodologies.
-
•
Equity in remuneration must reflect the opportunity cost of community members, often warranting paying them more than professional designers.
-
•
Evaluating radical participatory design focuses on sustained power shifts among the majority of team members, not just design outcomes.
-
•
Community-led design leverages existing trust and relationships, making recruitment and logistics more effective.
-
•
Futures design sometimes masks political or economic constraints, requiring iterative approaches to realize participatory visions.
Notable Quotes
"Land acknowledgments don’t actually change the allocation of power or resources."
"When we empower others, we reinforce the hierarchy we seek to subvert."
"Facilitation is powered; decisions made between workshops happen without community presence."
"The model of designer as community member means designer skills are equal alongside community skills."
"Community members must outnumber professional designers and own the outcomes."
"Empathy is an impossibility because of the inherent power dynamics between designer and participant."
"Radical participatory design helps avoid retraumatization because community members know the lived experience."
"We should pay community members more because they give up precious time that professionals do not."
"Have a majority of design team members experienced a sustained and sustainable shift in power?"
"Let the community lead; they help figure out goals, outreach, and logistics from the very first step."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Policies must evolve to reflect the urgency of our situation."
Alex Hurworth Bonnie John Fahd Arshad Antoine MarinDesigning a Contact Tracing App for Universal Access
October 23, 2020
"These brand new practitioners can bring fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking to hopefully see current problems in a new light."
Laine Riley Prokay Lisa GordonCarving a Path for Early Career DesignOps Practitioners
September 9, 2022
"Once cash prizes were gone, people stopped feeling ownership of the design system."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"You need to learn the vocabulary, tools, and processes your peers know and understand where they are inadequate."
Nathan ShedroffDouble Your Mileage: Use Your Research Strategically
March 31, 2020
"Accessibility is an ongoing process where we iterate, improve, and expand, and mobile-first makes the journey easier."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
November 17, 2022
"Foundational research answers big, nebulous questions; rapid research focuses on specific usability questions."
Feleesha SterlingBuilding a Rapid Research Program (Videoconference)
May 18, 2023
"Bumble’s single feature of women making the first move addressed a huge cultural challenge and lifted the brand."
Neil BarrieWidening the Aperture: The Case for Taking a Broader Lens to the Dialogue between Products and Culture
March 25, 2024
"You can’t measure long-term customer relationship value with short-term KPIs."
John DevanneyThe Design Management Office
November 6, 2017
"One analyst became our research associate by diving deep into the diary videos and organizing the data."
Katy MogalBut Do Your Insights Scale?
March 12, 2021