Abstract
Citizen dialogues strive for inclusivity but often exclude marginalized groups. New participatory and creativity-based approaches are needed to be evaluated and become a part of the skillset repertoire for public officials to foster an inclusive dialogue. This paper reflects on photo-based conversations as a dialogic method for societal development and inclusion. The results show that the method provides possibilities to creatively involve participants, strengthen relationships and open a space for diverse narratives between different actors in society. However, the challenges of internal exclusion, lack of strategies for impact, and the need to build competence in handling conflicting stories, without depoliticizing discussions, must be addressed. This research contributes to design methods as drivers of public sector innovation by discussing how creative, participatory approaches can support inclusive dialogue in society. The results presented is part of a four-year research project aiming to enhance coordination between diverse actors and organizations in everyday landscapes.
Keywords
co-design; citizen dialogues; photo-based conversations; living environments
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.262
Citation
Schaeffer, J., Karlsson, M., Strineholm, A., and Andersson, E. (2026) No one knew. They came. Exploring photo-elicitation in societal development, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.262
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
No one knew. They came. Exploring photo-elicitation in societal development
Citizen dialogues strive for inclusivity but often exclude marginalized groups. New participatory and creativity-based approaches are needed to be evaluated and become a part of the skillset repertoire for public officials to foster an inclusive dialogue. This paper reflects on photo-based conversations as a dialogic method for societal development and inclusion. The results show that the method provides possibilities to creatively involve participants, strengthen relationships and open a space for diverse narratives between different actors in society. However, the challenges of internal exclusion, lack of strategies for impact, and the need to build competence in handling conflicting stories, without depoliticizing discussions, must be addressed. This research contributes to design methods as drivers of public sector innovation by discussing how creative, participatory approaches can support inclusive dialogue in society. The results presented is part of a four-year research project aiming to enhance coordination between diverse actors and organizations in everyday landscapes.