Design Goals and Techniques
Design Goals
Library Staff as Public Servants: A Field Guide for Preparing to Support Communities in Crisis provides an overview of co-design. The following set of steps is adapted from that document.
Central to the participatory design process is the development of a design goal(s). This goal should be based on the intended outcomes identified in the logic model. The following design goal examples were developed by the library staff during the summer of 2020:
- To create an array of programs that support recognition of youth-led Black Lives Matter efforts and actions that have occurred in the community over the last several months.
- To design and implement, with a network of community youth development organizations, services and supports that help to mitigate the virtual learning challenges K-12 youth and families may face.
Check out the template for developing design goals and building participatory design sessions.
Design Techniques
As you plan your participatory design session, it’s important to learn about and consider the techniques to use with co-designers in order to reach your design goal. Techniques are chosen based on the level experience facilitators and co-designers have with participatory techniques. Also, techniques vary based on whether or not the participatory design is in an initial or later phase in the process. Sample participatory design techniques include:
Bags of Stuff
Groups of co-designers receive a “bag of stuff.” This bag typically has arts and crafts materials, such as construction paper, crayons, glue, tape, scissors, yarn, cotton balls, and so on, as well as “found objects” like leftover Styrofoam packing, wine corks, old LEGO pieces, small boxes, etc. Co-designers use the materials in the bag to visualize how to solve their design challenge. For example, using the confidence outcome noted above, co-designers may use materials in the bag of stuff to design a space where they feel they are welcome and belong.
Layered Elaboration/World Cafe
In layered elaboration and world cafe activities, groups of co-designers build off of each other’s ideas and inspirations. For example, using the world cafe model, co-designers start their work on a design challenge question in groups. A sample design challenge question might be, “In what instances/ways are teens able to demonstrate confidence?” As each group talks about the challenge question, they use chart paper on each table to take notes, draw images, etc. After a short period of time, five to ten minutes, each group moves to the table next to them. (One person however stays at the original table to take on the role of host.) At the new table, the host provides an overview of the previous conversation and then the new group continues and adds ideas to the chart paper. The groups continue to move, with the host always remaining, until returning to their original table. When back at the original table the group talks about all that’s on the chart paper and designs a visual that highlights the ideas discussed.
Sticky Noting
Using the sticky noting technique, library staff and community stakeholders work together to evaluate programs, services, experiences, and so on. With sticky noting, co-designers consider what they like and don’t like about the activity they’ve been involved in and also provide new ideas. For example, as a part of a participatory design process, teens and stakeholders might engage in a World Cafe activity. After that activity, the group may then write their likes, dislikes, and new ideas related to that activity and put them in a designated area. Then, the participatory design facilitators can group each category of sticky notes into similar areas and through that grouping - often called affinity mapping - are able to hone in on themes related to the activity or experience.
As you begin facilitating participatory design sessions, keep the design goal in mind. As each session unfolds, analyze the big ideas into coherent themes that will inform the design of programs and services. Staff can work with community members to continue the process to refine the design of programs and services from initial concept to final form. Repeat participatory sessions as needed and as time allows.