Power and participatory design: Who should really design the future? Presented by Good Shepherd

Part of the NGV Design week 2021 program: Design the World that you want

A one hour talk: Power and participatory design: Who should really design the future? Presented by Good Shepherd

Current participatory design practices can limit how and when to engage with marginalised or disadvantaged voices. We will explore and challenge: Is it really us who should design the future, and how do we decide whose voice is heard and what value it is given?

The next evolution of designing with care must extend to addressing how we engage beyond the mainstream. We can’t create inclusive participation without talking about power.  As design practitioners, we must be aware of our relationship to power – conscious and unconscious – to shift the inherent imbalance when working with people experiencing disadvantage or outside the ‘mainstream’.

This one hour talk will appeal to designers who are interested in learning more about approaching customer engagement with sensitivity and elevating participant voices, and to government and corporates who are at the start of their participatory design journey.

About Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Australia and New Zealand is a trusted independent provider of community services, and part of a global network spanning over 70 countries. Good Shepherd has been working with the community for over 200 years to help people feel safe and take control over their own lives through connecting people to a coordinated and diverse range of services to meet their, and their family’s needs.