And this is where we fu***d up! Lessons learned from Participatory Design in Digital Civic Initiatives

TL;DR

This paper discusses lessons learned from participatory design in digital civics, emphasizing challenges, failures, and strategies for resilient co-creation between citizens and public services.

Contribution

It provides a reflective analysis of real-world challenges in participatory design for digital civics and offers community-driven solutions and best practices.

Findings

Identification of common challenges faced in PD projects

Strategies for overcoming unforeseen obstacles

Insights into well-being impacts on researchers and communities

Abstract

Participatory design in digital civics aims to foster mutual learning and co-creation between public services and citizens. However, rarely do we collectively explore the challenges and failures we experience within PD and digital civics, to enable us to grow as a community. This workshop will explore real-world experiences that had to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. Through case presentations and thematic group discussions, participants will reflect on the challenges faced, the causes that led to these challenges, and collaboratively problem-solve effective solutions. Furthermore, we aim to discuss well-being impact on researchers and communities when faced with these obstacles, the strategies participants use to overcome them and how this can be fed back into the digital civics community. By that, the workshop seeks to foster dialogue, reflection, and collective learning, empowering participants with insights to navigate complexities effectively and promote resilient design practices in digital civics.