Unpicking how (some) participatory design methods work (with older people)

John Vines

overview of talk

Two anxieties of mine:

1) The different flavors of participation

2) The lack of reflection on the role of facilitation and the materials we use to scaffold dialogues and group interactions

--- Describe three experience-centered design methods

--- Begin to unpick how these methods and their associated

materials influence the experience of participating in a design process

a bit about what I do

Types  of  projects  

Angst #1

a bit about what I do

Types  of  projects  

a bit about what I do

Types  of  projects  

*credit to Jeff Bardzell for coining this term

researcher stance on participation

Experience-centered design (McCarthy & Wright, 2004) - which includes participatory practices (Wright & McCarthy, 2010)

Storytelling, values (existing and future), sharing expertise, and engaging in a dialogue with multiple, diverse groups around shared issues of concern

Undertaking fieldwork with colleagues and subsequent participatory activities in workshops

Imagining futures and offering alternatives

Explicitly political topics (healthcare reform, financial services)

“challenges” of design with older people

Lack of “focus” on the topic at hand

Talking about

“Fleeting” participation

“Forgetting” what has been discussed

Focus on ‘detail’

Used to ‘get what you’re given’

e.g. Lindsay et al. 2012. Engaging older adults with participatory design

“challenges” of design with older people

Lack of “focus” on the topic at hand

Talking about

“Fleeting” participation

“Forgetting” what has been discussed

Focus on ‘detail’

Used to ‘get what you’re given’

e.g. Lindsay et al. 2012. Engaging older adults with participatory design

Micro-dynamics and reflexivity

facilitation is a key component of running workshops and events and many participatory activities (ref)

Light (2010) highlighted how we rarely appear to reflect on the impact facilitation or the agency of the researchers has

on participatory engagements…

… Light and Akama (2012) show how skillful and unskillful facilitation can impact upon the success of workshops

the agency and positioning of the researcher is crucial in any

participatory activity but rarely reported on in literature (Vines et al. 2013)

a bit about what I do

Types  of  projects  

Angst #2

yes, I am wearing the same jumper

a bit about what I do

Types  of  projects  

my general concern:

how do I impact upon the experience of

participation?

a bit about what I do

Types  of  projects  

some more specific concerns:

how do the materials I create and use impact on how people have a say?

or, how do my skills, expertise and aesthetic preferences constrain and

hinder how people contribute during a design process?

3 experience-centered design methods

Questionable Concepts

Invisible Design Films Service Design Theatre

Example 1: Questionable Concepts

Cashier TV – from the Banking for the Older Old project

Vines  et  al.  2012.  Ques8onable  concepts:  Cri8que  as  a  resource  for  design.  

Domain: banking and eighty somethings

Materiality of finances; record keeping; localism; sharing with those they trust...

… pretty much all banking and payments policy

in the UK goes against these values

questionable concepts

Questionable concepts process

Individual concepts developed responding to issues and values identified in initial fieldwork – concepts are ‘questionable’ in the sense

that they are neither practical and are ‘chindogus’ that raise more questions than they solve

--- Concepts placed on individual cards, which have extracts from the fieldwork that they respond to and a series of probing questions for

participants to respond to ---

The cards are given to people as a pack of 10, and completed at home ---

Group discussion after several weeks with the cards where people pick specific cards to talk about in the group in a very open-ended manner

Example 2: Invisible Design Briggs  et  al.  2012.  Invisible  design:  Exploring  insights  and  ideas  through  ambiguous  film  scenarios  

Domain: how do people find out about assistive living technologies?

Great changes to healthcare provision in the United Kingdom and access to adaptations and aids:

-  including the way in which people can access information

-  and how people ‘pay’ for these devices and technologies  

hGp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhN5ifeGWcg  

Invisible design films process

Short ambiguous films scripted and produced based upon pre-defined issues related to the topic under study (e.g., finding information and

listening to the advice of others) ---

A “technology” is always invoked in the scene but never seen on screen ---

Discussions in group tease apart what happened – what were the relationships between characters, what were their values and what was

being described that we did not see ---

The result would be a list of issues or design opportunities responding to the issues described in the film

Example 3: service design theatre

Domain: future of community centered care

Reduction in state funding for professional carers to visit peoples homes:

-  greater emphasis on “rewarding” volunteer carers who help people living in

their community

-  how people ‘pay’ for these will also be changing  

hGp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfY58BGkdyY  

Service design theatre process

Actors would improvise a number of pre-defined issues of concern (e.g., a stranger volunteer visiting someones home

for the first time) in short 5 – 10 minute episodes ---

Discussions in group tease apart what happened, what was “good”, “bad” and “could be done differently”

--- Actors would replay re-directed scenes with group feedback

incorporated into them leading to further discussion ---

Multiple groups would be met, one final theatrical performance of the “service” is then performed to all groups and policy makers

several weeks later

A (very) “half-baked”

thematic analysis

a bit about what I do

Types of projects

“why would I want to scribble over your lovely cards?” – Marjorie, Cards

Aesthetics: reader, viewer and audience member

“I thought it was hilarious. I worked in home health for ten years, so I could relate to it. […] Well I was her part. The frustration of it. He is sort of cheerful, with all these complaints, he is still so cheerful. Like when he gets his TV fixed, he was so happy. Then he forgets - I mean there are about 20 little things that are so real.” – Janet, Theatre

“Yes, this is being extremely critical but it did nothing for me, that. I didn’t think it was dynamic enough […] it wasn’t a dynamic film that you wanted to watch avidly and find out what happened.” – Pamela, Film

a bit about what I do

Frustration and effort

“I was impatient with the whole lot, I couldn’t really see much point in any of them.” – Dorothy, Cards

“Well, having explained it, it makes a bit more sense. You’re not going around with this number showing everybody, which it appeared to be on the card” – Betty, Cards

“well I tried [to draw], not very successfully.” – Iris, Cards

“It was so unspecific as to be non-informational, or to me anyway.” – Tessa, Film

“I thought some of the questions were a bit senseless.” – Joan, Cards

“It didn’t tell me anything – what a waste of time and money I expect.” – Dorlores, Film

a bit about what I do

Configuring the researchers and researched

“Do you want situations that, that is a good instance. Do you want the situation where it is not very ideal and they weren’t introduced, or are you trying to get across the best care the best way?” – Maggie, Theatre

Well I sat down the other day and I did four, but whether I’ve answered properly on that I don’t know. – Benjamin, Cards

“Then I read them again and a lot of these I didn’t know what you wanted. I could answer quite a few of them with one word answers. […] Then I felt guilty and I thought, “Perhaps he wants to know more than just the answer,” so on some of them I’ve answered a little bit more […] What were you looking for?” – Trevor, Cards

a bit about what I do

Freedom of expression and control

“Because in the first one,, I thought his trust was going. You are not listening to me, so he is repeating it. But the trust had to be built; otherwise he is not going to respond whatsoever.” – Irene, Theatre, talking about a scene she had just redirected

“Everyone was more at ease, just because Phoebe had had more training and was a lot more comfortable, it put the care receiver at rest.” – Margaret, Theatre, talking about a scene she had just redirected

“I can’t draw, so I haven’t done any drawing, I’ve written them.” -

“NO!” – Rosa, Cards, scribbling over a quest .concept on front of one of the cards

a bit about what I do

Freedom of expression and control

F24: “You are a brat! Oh she left your Dad home for 10 minutes, how long do you leave him alone for? When was the last time you were visiting him? You dump your kids off and b****r off don’t you?”

F25: “That was a cleaner that you wanted, not a volunteer.” F24: “His daughter should pay for a cleaner for him.” F20: “She can’t, she’s got all those kids.” Actress: “I’ve got six children.” F23: “She’s got six kids!” F24: “You get a lot of family allowance.” F25: “I mean, do it yourself.” Actress: “Obviously I would have done; I was about to do it. I was just chatting

to my Dad because I wanted to get to the bottom of it.” F25: “The family shouldn’t be involved.” F21: “I would want to be involved if it was my dad. Not a big say, but I would

want a say.” F24: “The thing is though she doesn’t know the girl at all. She has never

been there – or have you been there when the girl has been there?” Actress: “I’ve met her before, yes, but briefly.”

With thanks to Peter Wright, Patrick Olivier, Mark Blythe, Jayne Wallace, Pam Briggs, Tess Denham-Cleaver, Andrew Monk, Paul Dunphy, & Stephen Lindsay.

Work and visit supported by: