Participatory Design for Inclusion and Empowerment

Abstract

Participatory and inclusive design approaches advocate for the engagement of stakeholders early on in the design process, both to ensure that outcomes are informed by the needs and desires of real-world users, and to avoid causing unintended harm. In this talk, I present several research projects that underline the importance of including diverse perspectives when creating digital systems. These projects include the participatory design and evaluation of a digital living media system that engages children through dynamics of caring and responsibility, the development of a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) prototyping platform for the creation of audio interfaces for children with disabilities, and a study of the perceptions and attitudes of individuals with diverse identities towards automatic recognition technology. I conclude with reflections on how to incorporate participatory and inclusive approaches when designing digital systems.