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Participatory Design |
These guidelines are based on my experiences implementing a peer production approach with the personal science community. They are related to the discussion in Chapter 5.2 and can be found in Appendix A.11.2 of my thesis.
- Choosing a collaborative approach based on objectives. Peer production can be a suitable approach if your goal is providing a system of mutual support for design and planning phases of research projects, encouraging reuse and adaptation of existing resources and practices, and harnessing collective creativity of contributors with diverse motivations and skills.
- Building a community. Providing a peer production infrastructure, even if it addresses a useful niche, is insufficient. Community-building, maintenance effort, and the attainment of a critical mass of content need considerations and resources. Implementing a peer production approach might be easier if there is already an existing community that shares peer-to-peer values.
- Attracting early contributors. It is advantageous if the platform can serve a valuable function for the initial core contributors, independent of having a critical mass of content. For instance, if it provides an accessible and open space for documenting and sharing personal projects or best practices.
- Understanding motivations for participatory design. participatory design can have several motivations, like redistributing power dynamics, creating shared ownership, or effectively addressing community requirements. Participatory methods need to be carefully selected and reflected in the function of these goals. Existing dynamics within the community and between the community and the people launching the design process need to be considered, too. participatory design is related to costs, such as time and effort, for all stakeholders involved. Think about your motivations for a participatory approach, and the community’s motivations to contribute. Try to find ways, if possible together with community members, for meaningful engagement that respect the capacities and motivations of the individuals involved.
- Developing engagement methods. Effective participatory design requires careful planning. Think about how stakeholders can engage in the project throughout the whole process, and how they learn about these opportunities. Without explicitly assigning or choosing methods, roles, and communication infrastructures, the leadership of the design process tends to be assumed by a small circle of core team members, often those who can dedicate the most time to it, such as individuals acting in professional capacity.
- Leveraging peer production to facilitate long-term engagement. Peer production infrastructures enable continuous and asynchronous engagement that extends beyond traditional participatory design methods. Try to consider pathways that allow users to receive updates on recent changes and discussions, provide feedback, and contribute to platform improvement to make use of these synergies.