Reasons to Join Us at UX Week (#2): Participatory Design
by Sarah B.What would happen if you not only designed for users but you designed with them? Would outcomes be more relevant to users? Would you increase the odds of adoption? What role does the designer then play?
Participatory Design, like User-Centered Design, keeps users at the center of design activities. However, rather than treating users as test subjects, Participatory Design explicitly involves users in the design process with generative techniques like games, collage, role-playing, etc. that help users articulate ideas, thoughts, feelings and beliefs.
Many of the techniques used in participatory design can also be used when working with stakeholders, clients, or team members who have interest in design but are not necessarily trained in its techniques. At Adaptive Path, hands-on workshops are a fundamental component of our project work, from defining scope and direction, to visioning and concepting. We find them to be a highly efficient way to collaborate and build alignment.
We are bringing several speakers to UX Week to discuss tools, techniques, and issues associated with participatory design. Liz Sanders, founder of maketools.com, is a pioneer in generative tools and collective creativity. We are excited to have her give a double session, both giving a talk on theory and practice, then taking us through a hands-on workshop. It promises to be an engaging session. Other speakers who incorporate participatory design activities into their work include Jess McMullin from nForm, Marty Gage from Lextant, and Kate Rutter from Adaptive Path. The full schedule (almost complete!) can be found here.
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on Monday, May 28th, 2007 at 9:16 am and is filed under Adaptive Path, Collaboration, Creativity, Idealism, uncensored, Upcoming Events.
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