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Exploratory workshop using abstract collaging to reflect on university-society collaborations
Mälardalen University, School of Innovation, Design and Engineering, Innovation and Product Realisation.
2018 (English)In: Participatory Innovation Conference 2018 PIN-C 2018, 2018, p. 303-309Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Collaborating with society (businesses, industry and municipalities) is a common practice for many universities today. To support such collaborations, there is a need to share and evaluate these practices. This research explores the use of creative and visual methods from Participatory Design to support reflective practice in university-society collaborations. The paper describes an exploratory workshop consisting of an abstract collage-making exercise and a list of questions. The purpose of this workshop is to see how the visual exercise could support discussions about university- society collaborations and to develop future studies. The results from the workshop show that using abstract collages generated multiple interpretations and metaphors about the visualized collaborations. The collage-making exercise prompted discussions about the interrelationship between collaboration, innovation processes and knowledge creation. It also stimulated playful interactions between participants. Moreover, the workshop participants gave valuable feedback on how to develop materials and questions to discuss university- society collaborations.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2018. p. 303-309
National Category
Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-39259OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-39259DiVA, id: diva2:1209623
Conference
Participatory Innovation Conference 2018 PIN-C 2018, 11 - 13 Jan 2018, Eskilstuna, Sweden
Available from: 2018-05-23 Created: 2018-05-23 Last updated: 2023-04-20Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Designing Tools for Joint Inquiry: Making and thinking together
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Designing Tools for Joint Inquiry: Making and thinking together
2020 (English)Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Positioned within the research program and subject area of Innovation and Design, this research focuses on the relationship between tools and joint inquiry. Joint inquiry – the collaborative exploration and definition of problems and possible solutions – plays an important part in Participatory Design processes. Tools, usually involving the making or using of artefacts in workshops, are developed and used to support joint inquiry between different actors. The aim of this research is to contribute to the deliberate design and systematic evaluation of tools for joint inquiry. This work addresses the literature gap comprising a lack of systematic evaluations in Participatory Design research and a need to evaluate designed activities and environments in relation to emerging designer-participant collaborations.

This research is a starting point towards developing a systematic approach for designing tools for joint inquiry and introduces two frameworks for this purpose. The first is the Communities of Inquiry framework, from the field of computer-mediated communication in distance education, which is used to identify indicators in joint inquiry. The second framework is a categorisation used to distinguish different aspects of a tool. Combining the two frameworks aids the understanding of the relationships between tools and indicators for joint inquiry. A Research through Design and Research for Design approach is used to study conversations between people and in interaction with tools. Nine design experiments are described, all of which involve the design and testing of tools to support the initiation of joint inquiry. The tools were primarily created and tested within an academic context with design students and researchers, with a focus on the topic of co-production – that is, close collaboration between academia and external actors. One tool was created and used within a museum with youth and researchers.

The results from the design experiments show that the tools supported the Communities of Inquiry indicators in the following ways: eliciting metaphors stimulated humour and encouraged contributions, renegotiating artefacts provoked brainstorming, commensality promoted phatic communication and humour, the relationship between material properties and metaphors prompted problem recognition, and formats directed towards personal experiences led to self-disclosure and emotional expression. The tools were a hinderance to the Communities of Inquiry framework when there was dominant participation and when the tools were considered to be inappropriate for certain work contexts. Future research will continue to develop means of systematically evaluating and designing tools that support communicative practices in Participatory Design processes.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Eskilstuna: Mälardalen University, 2020
Series
Mälardalen University Press Licentiate Theses, ISSN 1651-9256 ; 298
National Category
Other Humanities
Research subject
Innovation and Design
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-51316 (URN)978-91-7485-483-1 (ISBN)
Presentation
2020-11-13, sal A2-004, Mälardalens Högskola, Eskilstuna, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2020-10-12 Created: 2020-10-07 Last updated: 2025-02-07Bibliographically approved
2. Relational Sensitivity in Participatory Design: Thinking and making together through joint inquiry
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Relational Sensitivity in Participatory Design: Thinking and making together through joint inquiry
2023 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Participatory design processes can entail involving individuals, groups, and communities in joint inquiry to deliberate on their current situation, imagine alternative futures, and forge possible collaborations. Relational sensitivity – drawing attention to relationships in a given situation – is important when staging (i.e., organising and designing for) and facilitating joint inquiry. It is a valuable concept with which to illuminate and discuss contingent circumstances that may arise and, more generally, to support participation in joint inquiry. 

This PhD thesis explores and develops views of and a vocabulary for discussing relational sensitivity so as to support practitioners in staging joint inquiry. The thesis includes both a literature review and practice-based studies, applying a research through design approach to discuss relational sensitivity. The practice-based studies examine two participatory design processes: the collaborative designing of a communal space with university students, and the development of shared practices and rituals in a co-working space with professionals from the public sector. The practice-based studies also include nine design experiments in which situations for joint inquiry have been staged in academic contexts and in a museum. Through the literature- and practice-based studies, the thesis addresses two research questions: “How can relational sensitivity be understood when staging situations for joint inquiry?” and “How can the study of relational sensitivity inform practitioners when staging situations for joint inquiry?” Research methods include the use of field notes, journal notes, collective analysis, audio- and video-recordings, and questionnaires.

The results include three perspectives from which to understand relational sensitivity when staging joint inquiry: sensitivity to self (e.g., reflexivity, self-awareness, and embodied awareness), sensitivity to intersubjective dynamics (e.g., attunement and responsiveness to group dynamics, affect, emotions, values, trust, and power dynamics), and sensitivity to materiality and process (e.g., the roles of materials, artefacts, and activities in reflection, social cohesion, and diverse contexts, and the role of the body in power dynamics). While relational sensitivity is primarily discussed in relation to practitioners – i.e., those staging joint inquiry – this thesis also discusses the importance of cultivating participants’ awareness of the self and others when staging joint inquiry to collectively support participation.

Overall, this research contributes to the research fields of innovation and design and of participatory design by developing knowledge of relational sensitivity and its role in staging situations for joint inquiry. It provides insights into how practitioners can develop, discuss, and study their relational sensitivity and support participants in participatory design processes.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Eskilstuna: Mälardalens universitet, 2023
Series
Mälardalen University Press Dissertations, ISSN 1651-4238 ; 379
National Category
Humanities and the Arts
Research subject
Innovation and Design
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-62291 (URN)978-91-7485-595-1 (ISBN)
Public defence
2023-06-15, C1-007, Mälardalens universitet, Eskilstuna, 13:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2023-04-20 Created: 2023-04-20 Last updated: 2023-05-25Bibliographically approved

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Gottlieb, Laura

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