PDC

Participatory Design (PD) is a diverse collection of principles and practices aimed at making technologies and social institutions more responsive to human needs. The central tenet of PD is the direct involvement of people in the codesign of the systems they use. Originally viewed as an approach to developing computer systems for specific groups of workers, PD has expanded outwards in philosophical, political and pragmatic ways. It is now part of an emerging movement that blurs theoretical and practical boundaries and integrates work from many disciplines -- in an artful way -- all in pursuit of relevance for people around the world shaping their own 'networked society.'

The Participatory Design Conferences have been convened every two years since 1990. These forums have brought together a multidisciplinary and international group of software developers, researchers, social scientists, designers, activists, practitioners, users, citizens, cultural workers and managers who adopt distinctively participatory approaches in the development of information and communication artifacts, systems, services and technology.

Participatory design approaches have been used in traditional application domains (such as computer systems for business, health care and government) and are also relevant in emerging areas such as web-portal design, e-government services, community networks, enterprise resource planning, public CSCW (computer supported cooperative work) systems, social administration, community development, university/community partnerships, tele-health, political deliberation/mobilization (e-democracy), digital arts and design, scholarship and teaching with mediated technologies (e-learning), cultural production and cultural institutions. PD is also being used in the development of ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructures like free software/open source projects, standards, protocols, new media, policy, broadband and WiFi (wireless fidelity) networks and the like.

Participatory designers of ICT-applications may learn from, and, hopefully contribute to, work in other fields, such as community and organizational development, architecture, urban planning, policy development, media, design and art, especially insofar as these fields increasingly use ICTs. Participatory design approaches can be applied in various social settings such as local communities, government agencies, civil society, NGOs, schools and universities, companies, trade unions, etc. each with its own distinctive stakeholder arenas and power relations.

Artful Integration

The overall theme of the 2004 conference, "Artful Integration: Interweaving Media, Materials and Practices" describes a central reality of participatory design. It recognizes that an essential ingredient in design practice is the working together of multiple, heterogeneous elements. Whereas conventional design approaches emphasize the role of the designer and the creation of singular 'things', artful integration calls attention to the collective interweaving of people, artifacts and processes to achieve practical, aesthetic or emancipatory syntheses. With that in mind the conference organizers inaugurated the "Artful Integrators Award" to recognize exemplary work in participatory design.

The award is intended to recognize outstanding achievement in the area of participatory design of information and communications technologies. The award goes to a group of people who together have worked out, in an exceptionally creative way, a new and useful configuration of technologies and practices. Where traditional design awards have gone to individual designers or singular objects, the Artful Integrators Award emphasizes the importance of collaborative participation in design, and a view of good design as the effective alignment of diverse collections of people, activities and artifacts. While no single element of the design might be particularly extraordinary in itself, the combination of design process and outcome can be.

The Artful Integrators Award 2004 goes to Randy Trigg and the Global Fund for Women. Through their ongoing project of participatory design, Randy and his organization have created an information and communications infrastructure that exemplifies, in process and products, the spirit of the Artful Integration Award. As an accomplished software developer and systems integrator, Randy's collaboration with members of the Fund has resulted in the design of a database system for nonprofits that brings together fundraising, grant making and human resource management in ways that accommodate the continually evolving work practices of the organization. The Global Fund's developing infrastructure weaves together Randy's longstanding commitment to cooperative design practices with the Global Fund's commitment to democratic forms of wealth redistribution. Receiving the Award with Randy is Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, who will speak about the Fund's grant making philosophy and participatory practices.

Research Papers

This Volume collects the research papers presented at PDC2004. They are organized in three broad areas, corresponding to the main tracks within the conference. The first track deals with participatory design in various community contexts, reflecting the recent growth of interest in this emerging area. The other two are more traditional, dealing with methodological considerations and reflections on case experiences respectively. Within the tracks, the papers appear in the order of their presentation at the conference.

A word about the reviewing process for the research papers. We were very pleased at the enthusiastic response to the call for papers. We received 63 papers from people in over a dozen countries. Each paper was double-blind reviewed by at least three reviewers, coordinated through an online system custom built for this purpose. At a meeting in Toronto the program committee considered all the reviews, and selected 23 papers for presentation, providing authors with comments reflected in the revised papers you find here.

Other Conference Contributions

A highlight of any conference are the keynote addresses by invited speakers. At PDC2004 we are proud that three distinguished scholars are sharing their insights with us: Tone Bratteteig, a PD pioneer and associate professor in the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, speaks on "Participatory Design in Present Society," highlighting the challenges posed by such developments as the globalization of organizations and work processes. Reinhard Keil-Slawik, a professor of Informatics and Society in the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, University of Paderborn., considers fundamental product/process tensions in his talk "Participation in the Age of Digital Media". The conference closes with Jonathan Barker, professor emeritus of the University of Toronto, speaking on "Fearful Asymmetry: Terror, Power, and the Shape of Popular Action", in which he addresses the contemporary political context in which PD practitioners will likely need to take heed.

In addition to the research papers and keynote speakers, PDC 2004 convenes a diverse collection of other events. These include short papers (research works in progress, field experiences / stories from reflective practitioners, tools and techniques reports), preconference workshops, conference workshops, artifacts, posters, interactive demonstrations, art installations, and tutorials. These are described in Volume II of the proceedings. In addition, for the first time, we convene a Doctoral Consortium. Among the various other venues for sharing PD ideas, the papers and related conference materials will all be hosted on CPSRs digital library.

Participatory Design (PD) is a diverse collection of principles and practices aimed at making technologies and social institutions more responsive to human needs. The central tenet of PD is the direct involvement of people in the codesign of the systems they use. Originally viewed as an approach to developing computer systems for specific groups of workers, PD has expanded outwards in philosophical, political and pragmatic ways. It is now part of an emerging movement that blurs theoretical and practical boundaries and integrates work from many disciplines -- in an artful way -- all in pursuit of relevance for people around the world shaping their own networked society.

The Participatory Design Conferences have been convened every two years since 1990. These forums have brought together a multidisciplinary and international group of software developers, researchers, social scientists, designers, activists, practitioners, users, citizens, cultural workers and managers who adopt distinctively participatory approaches in the development of information and communication artifacts, systems, services and technology.

Participatory design approaches have been used in traditional application domains (such as computer systems for business, health care and government) and are also relevant in emerging areas such as web-portal design, e-government services, community networks, enterprise resource planning, public CSCW (computer supported cooperative work) systems, social administration, community development, university/community partnerships, tele-health, political deliberation/mobilization (e-democracy), digital arts and design, scholarship and teaching with mediated technologies (e-learning), cultural production and cultural institutions. PD is also being used in the development of ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructures like free software/open source projects, standards, protocols, new media, policy, broadband and WiFi (wireless fidelity) networks and the like.

Participatory designers of ICT-applications may learn from, and, hopefully contribute to, work in other fields, such as community and organizational development, architecture, urban planning, policy development, media, design and art, especially insofar as these fields increasingly use ICTs. Participatory design approaches can be applied in various social settings such as local communities, government agencies, civil society, NGOs, schools and universities, companies, trade unions, etc. each with its own distinctive stakeholder arenas and power relations.

Artful Integration

The overall theme of the 2004 conference, "Artful Integration: Interweaving Media, Materials and Practices" describes a central reality of participatory design. It recognizes that an essential ingredient in design practice is the working together of multiple, heterogeneous elements. Whereas conventional design approaches emphasize the role of the designer and the creation of singular 'things', artful integration calls attention to the collective interweaving of people, artifacts and processes to achieve practical, aesthetic or emancipatory syntheses. With that in mind the conference organizers inaugurated the "Artful Integrators Award" to recognize exemplary work in participatory design.

The award is intended to recognize outstanding achievement in the area of participatory design of information and communications technologies. The award goes to a group of people who together have worked out, in an exceptionally creative way, a new and useful configuration of technologies and practices. Where traditional design awards have gone to individual designers or singular objects, the Artful Integrators Award emphasizes the importance of collaborative participation in design, and a view of good design as the effective alignment of diverse collections of people, activities and artifacts. While no single element of the design might be particularly extraordinary in itself, the combination of design process and outcome can be.

The Artful Integrators Award 2004 goes to Randy Trigg and the Global Fund for Women. Through their ongoing project of participatory design, Randy and his organization have created an information and communications infrastructure that exemplifies, in process and products, the spirit of the Artful Integration Award. As an accomplished software developer and systems integrator, Randy's collaboration with members of the Fund has resulted in the design of a database system for nonprofits that brings together fundraising, grant making and human resource management in ways that accommodate the continually evolving work practices of the organization. The Global Fund's developing infrastructure weaves together Randy's longstanding commitment to cooperative design practices with the Global Fund's commitment to democratic forms of wealth redistribution. Receiving the Award with Randy is Kavita Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, who will speak about the Fund's grant making philosophy and participatory practices.

Research Papers

This Volume collects the research papers presented at PDC2004. They are organized in three broad areas, corresponding to the main tracks within the conference. The first track deals with participatory design in various community contexts, reflecting the recent growth of interest in this emerging area. The other two are more traditional, dealing with methodological considerations and reflections on case experiences respectively. Within the tracks, the papers appear in the order of their presentation at the conference.

A word about the reviewing process for the research papers. We were very pleased at the enthusiastic response to the call for papers. We received 63 papers from people in over a dozen countries. Each paper was double-blind reviewed by at least three reviewers, coordinated through an online system custom built for this purpose. At a meeting in Toronto the program committee considered all the reviews, and selected 23 papers for presentation, providing authors with comments reflected in the revised papers you find here.

Other Conference Contributions

A highlight of any conference are the keynote addresses by invited speakers. At PDC2004 we are proud that three distinguished scholars are sharing their insights with us: Tone Bratteteig, a PD pioneer and associate professor in the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, speaks on "Participatory Design in Present Society," highlighting the challenges posed by such developments as the globalization of organizations and work processes. Reinhard Keil-Slawik, a professor of Informatics and Society in the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, University of Paderborn., considers fundamental product/process tensions in his talk "Participation in the Age of Digital Media". The conference closes with Jonathan Barker, professor emeritus of the University of Toronto, speaking on "Fearful Asymmetry: Terror, Power, and the Shape of Popular Action", in which he addresses the contemporary political context in which PD practitioners will likely need to take heed.

In addition to the research papers and keynote speakers, PDC 2004 convenes a diverse collection of other events. These include short papers (research works in progress, field experiences / stories from reflective practitioners, tools and techniques reports), preconference workshops, conference workshops, artifacts, posters, interactive demonstrations, art installations, and tutorials. These are described in Volume II of the proceedings. In addition, for the first time, we convene a Doctoral Consortium. Among the various other venues for sharing PD ideas, the papers and related conference materials will all be hosted on CPSR's 'digital library' (cpsr.org).