Shared Knowledge : An Exploration of the Use and the Design of Participatory Workshops

Abstract:

This master thesis presents an exploration of participatory workshops. It focuses

on how these may involve a design project’s various stakeholders, and

take the design process further by joint activities of mutual learning.

The main concern addressed in the thesis is how participatory workshops

may be designed and carried through, together with companies working with

design. The aim of the exploration is to gain an understanding of the various

steps of the design and implementation of workshops, and also how these

steps interact during the process.

The exploration is mainly based on the design and implementation of three

different workshops: One workshop was designed on behalf of a design consultancy

as part of the phase of concept, in an ongoing design project about

cleaning products. Afterwards the team worked on ideas based on the winning

concepts from this workshop.

A second workshop was designed for a working team at a company of wood

floor production, in order to identify what future steps to take. The outcome

emphasized what the team needed as well as desired to be working on next.

In collaboration with the same wood floor producer, a third workshop was

also designed as a part of the company’s design competition. This workshop

aimed to making the competitors share their personal experiences of the

theme of the competition. The workshop resulted in a joint creation of understanding

and knowledge about the company’s demands and desires of the

new product.

In order to broaden my perspective on the method, I carried out a number of

interviews, for example with MiL Institute, who is working with management

training and coaching, and with Ordrum, who offers training in communication.

To support mutual learning in the workshops, aspects of knowledge and

learning are additionally included in the study.

The exploration shows the advantage of using prepared ambiguous materials

as part of the framework of a workshop, for supporting divergent thinking;

individual and collective storytelling; diversity of ideas; and collaboration

between people. Additionally the exploration indicates that people’s involvement

in participatory workshops may create more responsibility of the design,

through the experience of a shared ownership of the process.

Moreover, it points out the challenge of working co-creationally in design

work, also through the design process of workshops.