Participatory Design through a Learning Science Lens

Participatory design is a growing practice in the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This note is a review of how participatory design activities are a form of learning. The premise of this exploration is that participatory design is more than asking participants for their help in design. Instead, participatory design is a set of methods and practices used to scaffold the design experience, increasing participants' reflection of their own knowledge and accounting for their previous knowledge so they can more fully engage in the design process. This active reflection and considerations of pervious experiences are closely tied to metacognition and a number of learning theories. Exploring previous studies provides examples of how learning theories are enacted through participatory design and how a greater awareness of these theories can inform the practice of participatory design.