Transforming Design: The Power of Participatory Approaches
Summary: Embarking on my journey with the user research team at Fitch Inc. in 1993 marked the beginning of a transformative exploration into participatory design and inclusive research methodologies. From understanding the distinct roles of Market Research and User Research to embracing visionary approaches in simplifying design processes, this journey has led to profound shifts in mindset and approaches. Through experiences that fostered empathy, respect for user wisdom, humility, and the ability to accommodate diverse perspectives, my narrative unfolds a deeper understanding of design’s social impact and the importance of genuine curiosity and trust in research dialogues. This summary encapsulates my personal and professional evolution shaped by the principles of participatory design and a commitment to creating design solutions that resonate with people’s lives and aspirations.
In 1993, I joined the user research team of Fitch Inc. (formerly Fitch Richardson Smith) as an intern. At that time, the research team at Fitch was organized into two groups: Market Research and User Research. I am guessing that the logic of the two categorizations was that the market research team studied people as consumers in the marketplace, and the user research team studied people in their context of use (of the products Fitch designed). Market research generated insights that informed marketing, branding, and sales information, whereas the user research team generated insights that informed the user experience.
Another noticeable difference between the two groups was that the market research team drew upon established research methods and tools in the traditional market search field. The head of the user research group, Dr. Liz Sanders, once told me that she studied designers using methods and tools to generate ideas and simplified those methods and tools to make them easy to use by everyday people. Her belief in participatory design drove her to develop new methods and tools of generative research.
Working under her guidance, we learned that everyday people have an implicit understanding of their life context, and giving them designerly tools of reflection, synthesis, creative problem-solving, and concept development would lead to the development of design ideas that are more aligned with their life context. I could appreciate Liz’ approach to observing, understanding, and applying designers’ cognitive processes to create her version of generative research.
My own curiosity for thinking about my thinking triggered by Nigel Cross’ book, ‘Designerly Ways of Knowing,’ helped me appreciate the invaluable contribution Liz was making in developing a radically new approach to design research drawing upon her own training in psychology and anthropology.
I must also credit the co-founders of Richardson Smith, (who later merged their company with Fitch to form Fitch+Richardson Smith), Deane Richardson and Dave Smith for nurturing a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and dialogue by hiring people like Keith Kresge, John Reinfrank, Shelley Evanston, Liz Sanders, who helped cultivate a nourishing environment for us to develop foundational understanding of participatory design.
I would like to highlight some of the shifts that happened in me over time by embracing a participatory design mindset.
1. Mindset shift from egocentric to empathic view of design: Traditional training in design cultivates ego and arrogance. Most celebrated stories of design are tied to its designers and not to the impact they had on communities. The participatory approach helped tame our ego and drove home the importance of empathy in design.
2. A newfound respect for the wisdom and imagination of everyday people: observing and listening to everyday people helped me witness how people solve their problems, and how profound is their understanding of their realities, histories, legacies, and practices. This newfound respect helped me understand the limitations of designing for people and the advantages of designing with people.
3. Humility and patience for the natural pace of change: I developed humility to recognize that sustainable change takes time and involves the evolution of minds, social behaviors, and cultural adjustments. Disruptive innovation, on the other hand, is driven by ego, arrogance, and apathy.
3. The ability to accommodate multiple perspectives: I learned that consensus is seldom necessary. We live amidst multiple perspectives and beliefs. It is more important to understand conflict in perspective and to create a possibility for them to co-exist. Conflict resolution is as important as solving a problem.
Three words summarize the enhanced capacities that developed in me by practicing participatory design: humility, curiosity, and generativity.
Though I am trained in industrial design, I have learned to look at the world with two lenses: the lens of a participatory designer and the lens of a social reformer and an activist. I need these two separate lenses because they help me avoid the trap of the myth that Design Thinking is the new method in town that promises to solve all complex and unsolved problems.
To solve a problem defined as a design problem, it must be examined as a problem with social impact. Regardless of whether affected people are called customers, users, or stakeholders, the real task is to understand and serve people as a part of a community, culture, and society.
More recently, I have argued against the use of the word User in design. I find the very phrase “Users” indicative of many shortcomings I had when I used the word “users” in referring to the subjects of my research studies. The mindset that treats people as users is not conducive to having an open-minded and authentic dialogue with a person. With this attitude towards the person being interviewed, one is injecting an implicit bias in the conversation that “I treat you as a user of something I am interested in selling you.”
A good researcher, ethnographer, or a participatory designer is a good conversationist. They are genuinely interested in knowing people and understanding their life context. Such a mental framework can lead us to unravel insights from a place of genuine curiosity for other people’s truth. On the other hand, when a researcher approaches “the subject of research” with a focus on a discussion guide and a set of questions to be answered, in an environment that is not the subject’s own natural context, the participant tends to start guessing what answers the researcher wants. Such an approach can force the participant to want to give you the money’s worth for the incentive being paid. Even worse- when such interviews are conducted in focus group facilities- one tends to get professional focus groupies.
I always tell my researchers at SonicRim “To be a good researcher be genuinely curious about people. They will tell you their stories and reveal their imagination if they find a researcher genuinely interested, patient, and trustworthy.”
To explain the importance of understanding people in their context I tell my clients “The type of research we do is not about finding answers to your questions. It is about understanding people and their situation and learning if and how your ideas fit their reality and imagination. Sometimes you may find answers to your questions and sometimes you may find you were asking wrong questions. Nevertheless, you will have greater resonance with your target audience and will make better decisions.”
The idea after all is to have resonance with the needs and aspirations of the people you want to serve. We can do so by approaching them as partners in a generative dialogue. As we establish a trusted, constructive relationship with people we will begin to generate design ideas that will be relevant to their situations and they will have a sense of ownership in using design to improve their own lives
In conclusion, embracing a participatory design mindset has not only transformed my approach to design but has also enriched my understanding of human interactions and societal contexts. By valuing empathy, humility, and inclusivity, we can create design solutions that resonate with people’s realities and aspirations, fostering meaningful partnerships and driving positive change in communities.
