Abstract
This exploratory case study aims to shed light on how end users were considered in students’ design discussions and final design products. A 3-month participatory design project for students (ages 14–15) was designed, with the design brief: “co-design and make an e-textile product for the preschoolers according to their wishes and needs”. We analyzed transcribed end-users-related design discussions and the final products of two teams. The findings indicate that students’ end-users-related design discussions concerned various functional, technical, and visual/aesthetic features, as well as aspects beyond functional, such as students’ memories and experiences. Additionally, many concrete and abstract features and solutions of the final products were traced back to end users. This study suggests new possibilities for engaging students in empathic and reflective (digital) design and making, targeting design-literate citizens in the 21st century.
Keywords
participatory design, design thinking, empathy, maker-centered learning, 21st-century skills
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs_lxd2021.01.241
Citation
Bosch, N., Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P.,and Härkki, T.(2021) End users in students’ participatory design process, in Bohemia, E., Nielsen, L.M., Pan, L., Börekçi, N.A.G.Z., Zhang, Y. (eds.), Learn X Design 2021: Engaging with challenges in design education, 24-26 September, Shandong University of Art & Design, Jinan, China. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs_lxd2021.01.241
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Research Paper
Included in
End users in students’ participatory design process
This exploratory case study aims to shed light on how end users were considered in students’ design discussions and final design products. A 3-month participatory design project for students (ages 14–15) was designed, with the design brief: “co-design and make an e-textile product for the preschoolers according to their wishes and needs”. We analyzed transcribed end-users-related design discussions and the final products of two teams. The findings indicate that students’ end-users-related design discussions concerned various functional, technical, and visual/aesthetic features, as well as aspects beyond functional, such as students’ memories and experiences. Additionally, many concrete and abstract features and solutions of the final products were traced back to end users. This study suggests new possibilities for engaging students in empathic and reflective (digital) design and making, targeting design-literate citizens in the 21st century.