How Do I matter? A Review of the Participatory Design Practice with Less Privileged Participants

In participatory design, different methods are applied to build individuals’ participation and engagement in design processes. Nonetheless, some less privileged participants can face more barriers to participation than others, e.g., being unable to exercise their voice. The literature lacks a unified source that guides PD researchers and practitioners in devising and implementing projects with groups facing more barriers to participation. This paper addresses this gap and advances the field in two ways. First, by presenting an assessment of the current state of the art through a review of 46 participatory projects that involved less privileged participants, it identifies the diversity of participants involved in these projects, and the methods and the stage of their involvement. It also frames three conceptualizations of PD and presents common challenges researchers and participants faced during these projects. Second, based on this analysis, it presents areas for further development and discusses the implications for PD.